


A New War

by percyjacksonistheprince



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: 1940s, 1942, AU, F/M, Military, Military AU, World War II, world war ii au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-12 21:31:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 50,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12968811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/percyjacksonistheprince/pseuds/percyjacksonistheprince
Summary: Jack Kelley: 25 and the best pilot in the Air Force, what happens when he crosses paths with the beautiful Major Katherine Plumber? Find out and see what new war they'll be waging... for themselves and for the country.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a bday gift for my friend Enjolras. I'm Marius by the way hehehe.

Jack Kelley. 25 years old and the best goddamn pilot in the US Air Force during 1941. His full title was 1st lieutenant Jack Kelley, clearly he wasn't able to make it to captain because of his behavior… well, sort of.

He was reckless, so reckless that he risked being removed from the Force and put back in sanitation, cleaning the toilets and washing the latrine with a single used red toothbrush.

But of course, General Pulitzer would not remove his "favorite" pilot, even if he always manages to give him a hell ton of paperwork every other day... Quite literally.

He was a star pilot along with his best buddy Davey, his wingman. Davey usually tries to drag Jack out of doing anything stupid, but, if he couldn't beat Jack, Davey would join him. So naturally, they both get sent to Pulitzer's office and have a really loud lecture on their recklessness. Their eardrums would be ringing for hours.

One training drill, Jack managed to push it a little too far and he met the unexpected.

The drill was that they had to get the other off their tail and get into attack position, as they were required to do when they're in the actual field against their enemies.  
(The Japanese in this case.)

Davey was flying really close behind Jack, who was supposed to shake him. Davey was nearly as good as Jack in terms of flying, so it was a tough match.

"Hey Davey." Jack spoke into his communications device. "Can't ya give me a break? I'm kinda dyin' over here."

Jack could imagine Davey shaking his head. "No can do Newsboy, (that being his pilot name) I ain't letting you do anything stupid again."

"Dammit Davey, what did I do to you?" Jack smirked, fully knowing what he did do something to Davey. "I ain't got nothin on my hands!"

"You set me up! You told me that the girl I liked was there waiting for me at HQ, then I came, dressed up in a damn tuxedo, and walked into a meeting OF THE GENERALS while I was holding flowers!" Davey said quickly, very tired with Jack's antics.

Jack laughed. "With perfume and slicked back hair."

"Jack!"

"Good times eh?"

"Good times for you!" Davey sighed.

"Ah well Davey. You'll just have to..." Jack stopped mid-sentence as an idea blossomed in his mind.

"Jack. Don't pause like that." Jack could hear Davey's nerve. He knew he was gonna do something reckless... Of course he was always on point. "What are you thinking again?!"

"I think I know how to shake ya." Jack wiped his nose with his finger.

Davey scoffed. "Yeah right you do."

Jack smirked wider. "You bet I do Davey."

He suddenly pulled the wheel towards him and sped straight up.

"Is that all Kelley?" Davey challenged him. "That isn't gonna do you any good, we've done this before."

"Nah. I'm just getting started!" Just as he was about to hit maximum height, he straightened out and started a nosedive... A spinning nosedive.

"Don't you dare!" Davey cried over the comm. "Do you have any idea how-"

"Dangerous, reckless and irresponsible this is? Davey stop giving me a damn lecture and try keeping on my tail." Jack pushed for more speed and made sure he was seen from the control tower.

"Kelly." Another voice came on the radio. "Pull-"

Jack switched of the radio connection to the tower. "Ah shut up Spot. You don't own me." Kelley kept pushing for more speed.

"Jack!" Davey cried again from the other side of the communication. "I ain't keepin on your tail!"

"Well good." Jack was still smirking. "You better pull away then."

Jack looked back and saw Davey was still hot on his tail.

"Come on... Come on..." The water was getting closer and closer... Almost too close for comfort, he'd have to pull it up quickly. "Aww Davey, you love me so much." Jack smiled. "You don't want to stop following me."

"Jack stop this!"

"Nope!"

Davey groaned over the comm and pulled up, away from Jack. "Pull up goddamit!"

"Oh yeah that's right Da- Oh crap." He saw the water was way too close, most regular pilots wouldn't be sane enough to fly.

Good thing he wasn't a regular pilot.

He straightened his aircraft (stopping it from spinning) and pulled up with all his might.

Jack yelled defiantly as the water still got closer and closer. At the last possible second, the bottom of the aircraft skimmed the surface of the water and Jack climbed back up to the proper flying height.

"WHOOOO! That's what I'm talking about!" He yelled triumphantly. "How was that Davey?"

"Jack Kelley." Davey's voice came out from the comm.

"Yes Davey?"

"You're one goddamm reckless idiot." He said, but he clearly sounded relieved in Jack's ears.

Jack smiled. "Come on Davey, let's get the lecture I've always been ready for." And Jack and Davey turned around towards the landing strip.

-LINE BREAK-

Katherine Plumber, 25 years old, daughter of the famous General Pulitzer. She doesn't want to be known as his daughter. She wants to create her own reputation.

She enlisted in the army at 16, (since she wanted to and it was easy to streamline her application since her father was a big shot there) with a drive to prove she is as good and even better than her father.

Her father didn't stop her at all. He wasn't around enough to be able to stop her.

She wanted to rise above the ranks, not because of her Father being this big shot General, but because of her own merits.

She did.

She was there for eight years. She aced military school at the age of 20 and managed to rise to the rank of major in four years, for a total of nine years in the military.

She didn't accept the military regime of "men reporters" only, she was a female major (about to be promoted to colonel because of her bravery in battle) and she wouldn't let anyone tell her otherwise.

She watched all the men who enlisted with her neglect themselves when they were promoted to at least major, since they're of a high rank.

Not Katherine. She kept herself in shape and worked out and kept her head high, just to gain the respect she deserved.

She defeated the norm and was better than anyone, but of course no one noticed her efforts since it was a male oriented society, until she was sent into the field and managed to rally her troops to victory.

From then on she continued to bring down anyone in her way, in the field and at home.

She got the recognition she deserved.

Admittedly though, even if she was tough to her comrades, to her friends and family (excluding Pulizer), she was soft on the inside. She laughed like a normal girl and she even squealed, did normal girl stuff.

When it was time for duty, she was one tough cookie.

Lieutenant Colonel Katherine, or Ace as they called her, was the best in the Army (though not everyone would admit it) and she wanted nothing to do with the air. Nothing.

Well today was her lucky day.

She received a telegram at her office to go to her father at the Air Force base couple of miles from where she is.

"What the hell is this?" She crumpled it and threw it in the trash can. "I don't even want to..."

"Ms. Katherine, it's your father." Clare, her lieutenant poked her head inside her office. She had the ears of a hawk. "You can't possibly ignore a summons from him."

Katherine huffed. "Alright... Fine." She put her hands on her hips. "But if he's requesting for another report or if I have to file another one, remind me to bring my pistolthe next time he calls me up."

Clare smiled. "Will do ma'am."

-LINE BREAK-

Jack and Davey got down to the landing strip safely. Their whole crew was there to greet them once they disembarked from their respective planes.

Jack went out of the cockpit and took of his helmet to reveal a set of sparkling brown eyes and tousled dark hair.

"Yo Jack. Did ya see Conlon's face when he saw you switched off your radio?" One of them asked.

"Well I'm pretty sure that it wasn't... Spotless no more!" Jack laughed and lightly punched his arm. "Bet you he spilled coffee all over his stupid shirt!"

The whole crew laughed, even Davey had a small smile.

"Ah come on Davey." Jack put an arm around his shoulders and shook him. "I ain't dead and you ain't in that much trouble."

"Much?" Davey looked at him incredulously. "Following you into a spinning nosedive? You're kidding right?"

Jack laughed whole heartedly and patted him on the back. "Don't worry, if it's anyone who's gonna get the damn blame, it's me-"

"Well serves you right for that reckless behavior."

The team cleared a path and stood up straight for a woman Jack doesn't know.

Beautiful brown hair and strict eyes... She was beautiful, but she carried herself well. She looked strong, yet she still had an aura of femininity. Jack tried to hide his cocky smile when she stormed straight through the path the team created. "A woman Davey." Jack clapped him on the back. "I totally got this."

"Jack. I don't think-" Jack cut off Davey with a pat on his shoulder.

She didn't seem happy to see him.

-LINE BREAK-

Katherine drove to Pulitzer's office and probably broke a billion traffic rules while doing it.

She was going to do this quickly and get it over with. She was chasing a mission back at her HQ and she needed to get back to it.

She parked her car in its usual place and briskly got out and walked to the office.

"What do you need me now for father?" She muttered to herself. Her standard army green top was well decorated and went perfectly with her black pencil skirt.

The pistol hidden in her skirt didn't prevent her from moving.

The pilots who were roaming around, either shirtless, or only with a towel, or in full flight gear, or in uniform, or in pants and a shirt and at one point she did catch one of the less sober pilots buck naked, regarded her as an item.

Maybe she should've glared at them or something, but she just walked on.

She reached General Pulitzer's office with her nerves frayed and her temper high.

She went in without knocking.

"Sir." She said and saluted her father.

"Morning Katherine." He replied without looking up from his paperwork. "Take a seat."

Katherine yielded to the seat in front of her father's wooden desk. "Why did you summon me here?"

"Can't a father summon his own daughter to his office?" he replied and looked at her.

She stayed silent.

He scribbled something on the paper and asked, "How was your last mission?"

"Easy recon sir, no one was detected, minor injuries and no casualties." She said with pride.

Pulitzer had a small smile dance across his face. "Is that so?"

"Yes Father."

"You were the leader."

"Yes." She clenched the pistol strapped to her leg.

"Well, excellent work on your part I suppose." He eyed the new decorations on her uniform. "Heard you're going to be promoted-"

"Dad." Katherine cut him off. "Why am I here?"

He raised an eyebrow, Major Plumber was the only one who treated him like an equal, even if he was one of the most decorated Generals in the Air Force. He does know that she did not like the Air Force since he himself was in it. She went somewhere else.

"Straight to the point as always… Major Plumber." He said her last name sarcastically. He stood up and faced the window, watching the planes speed by.

"I was going to discuss your-" He was cut off by a private barging in.

"SIR!' He exclaimed, clearly out of breath. The poor guy's hair was messed up and all over the place.

"What is it now Anuncio?" Pulitzer sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Can't you see I'm…"

"Sir, Conlon wanted you to know that-"

"Kelly again?"

The poor private nodded. '"He demands you get them now."

"And why can't he do that himself Private?"

"He said he might snap their necks sir."

Pulitzer smirked and eyed Katherine. "Do you mind getting him for me Major Katherine?"

Katherine stood up stiffly. She couldn't refuse in front of a soldier of her father. She saluted her father. "No sir."  
She said through gritted teeth.

"Dismissed."

Katherine walked out of the office, she started grumbling once she was out of earshot.

"I knew he wanted me on one of his errands." She groaned. "Stupid… son of a… pilots! Ugh!"

She quickly strode to the landing strip where a bunch of heavily testosterone-fueled men are crowding around a man with his arm around another man's shoulder who had a smaller stature.

"That's probably him." She said and stood up straighter as she walked towards them, her heels clicking the pavement.

-LINE BREAK-

"Good Afternoon Miss." Jack said cockily. "How may I help you?" He was clearly unaware of the aura of leadership this woman showed. He clearly ignored the decorations on her uniform. His team made a line for her and stared at the scene.

"I am here to bring you to General Pulitzer." She replied.

"Joe again?" Jack smirked at Davey who was subtly shaking his head. "No offense lady but, I don't think you're in the position to-"

"Why?" Katherine resisted the urge to snap his neck.

"Because you're…" Jack studied her.

"Because I'm a woman? No offense boy but you aren't in the proper place to say this to me."

Jack tilted his head to meet her eyes. "Really Miss? You know I'm-"

"I know exactly who you are." Katherine stepped closer to him. She poked his chest hard and he moved back. "And thatMs Major Plumber to you Newsboy." She said firmly as she read the name on his grey helmet. "Or rather, Lieutenant Jack Kelley."

Jack's cocky smile faded as he looked at her decorated uniform. He realized his mistake. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well?"

She heard the faint "ohs" of the pilots and muffled laughter."

"Sorry Ma'am." He stood up straight and saluted her.

"That is more like it." She studied Davey for a brief moment. "And you?"

"Lieutenant Dave." He said and saluted her, nearly dropping his helmet.

"Wingman?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Then you both have to come with me. Remove your flight suits and I shall lead you to General Pulitzer's office."

"Yes ma'am." They both said stiffly.

She turned around and walked away.

"Goddammit Davey." Jack whispered as they followed the woman. Jack was still watching her. "I think I've found my girl."

Davey shook his head and gripped his helmet. "Don't even think about it."

"She's beautiful Davey." Jack looked at him with a look that made Davey roll his eyes.

They continued to follow Major Plumber.

Unknown to them, she felt a little something to when she looked at Lieutenant Jack Kelly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive my WW2 knowledge, it's historical fiction anyway so it doesn't have t be 100% accurate right hehehe.....

"This is impractical." Katherine, that is, Major Katherine thought. She was fed up. She waited outside the men's locker rooms while the boys changed. She was crossing her arms while mentally cursing her father for dragging her into this just as she was about to do something very important.

It involved a lot of strategy and planning for her next field mission. She also had to meet with her superior (not her father), "Governor." He (the general) had that nickname because he constantly ridicules the people holding such sinecure positions.

His secretary told her it was of utmost importance.

There was a crash from inside the lockers and a bunch of wild laughter. Katherine rolled her eyes. They made so much noise when they are in a locker room changing. Seriously.

Katherine never made much noise... Then again there are barley any females to change with inside the lockers.

The most activity that would happen in there was when a drunk man came in and made the mistake of trying to flirt with her, while she was wearing only a towel. The poor guy had a welt the size of an apple on his forehead for weeks.

She waited for a standard seven minutes before the two came out, their hair was still wet and they were wearing their uniform pants and fit white t-shirts.

Katherine wasn't the type to stare, but with Jack slinging his uniform top over his shoulder, she couldn't help but notice how... Fit. He was. His biceps were smooth and his stomach was toned...

She shook the thoughts out of her head as she watched Jack lightly punch his wingman in the stomach. His wingman had a smaller frame than Kelly, but he looked pretty well-off too.

She cleared her throat so that they would stop messing with one another. "Boys." She raised her chin in order to make up for her lack in height.

The two straightened up and looked at her, although Jack looked like he was suppressing a smile.

"What's funny Lieutenant?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing ma'am." Jack cleared his throat and looked at her with his bright eyes as if he was prying. She didn't falter and glared at him.

"Then quit smiling and come with me to my- to the General." She added quickly as she cursed herself mentally. She wasn't his daughter here. Was she really about to give up what she tries to hide?

She turned her back to them and walked forward, quite briskly that the pilots had to jog a little bit.

"Geez lady, couldn't you slow down a bit?" Davey muttered, not realizing she had a keen sense of hearing.

"I know right..." Jack muttered.

"I want this over with Lieutenant Davey." She replied without looking back, the only thing the two boys saw was her long, wavy brown hair. "I have better business to attend to."

A shocked silence came next, as if they didn't expect to be heard.

"So we ain't important to ya?" Jack said from behind, breaking that silence.

She didn't reply to that.

Jack still didn't drop it. She supposed he wasn't the most disciplined lieutenant around here.

For God's sake, he kept talking. "Then why did ya go all the way to fetch us Major Katherine?" She could imagine him shrugging while having that annoying smirk plastered across his face. "I don't know, maybe you were curious ma'am?"

Katherine rolled her eyes. This boy couldn't get on her nerves. She was a seasoned field veteran, it took a while to get her ticked off.

"Ow Davey!" She heard as she supposed his wingman elbowed him in the stomach.

"Shut up Kelly!" He whisper-shouted.

She didn't look back still, even when Jack managed a chuckle. "Jesus Davey, can't I have fun?"

"You do know she outranks you right?"

Katherine put her chin up a little more because of that. She was proud of her rank and the fact that she was the youngest in the rank, in terms of boys and girls.

She could hear Jack chuckle softly. "Major Plumber?" He said a bit louder.

"Yes?" She said flatly.

"What's ah... Ya know..." He bit the end of his sunglasses. "What was your purpose of joinin the military? I mean..."

"I don't think I need to answer that Lieutenant. You are not in the position at the moment to question me."

"At the moment?" She could hear the smirking.

She mentally smacked herself. Damn it Katherine! "Let's just go to the general, ladies." She added the last part as an insult. She was referring to all the girls who wouldn't try to be equal to men, the girls who wouldn't step up and take a stand in their femininity. She knew that the annoying pilot wouldn't stand being called that.

"Ladies?" Jack said incredulously. "You're the lady. Nothing on me makes me a lady. I don't see a girl around these parts. I haven't heard of no-"

Her hand twitched toward her pistol as she turned on her heel to get face face with the cantankerous lieutenant. Talking about his own narcissistic purposes was fine, but insulting that fact that she was a woman in the military? That was it. "Well wake up to the new century lieutenant. Things change." She snapped.

Jack and Davey's eyes widened in surprise at the intensity of her glare.

He turned her back on them again and walked even faster than she should have been able to in her skirt.

They had to jog again to keep up. Her hands were cool, her back was straight and she had the same calm expression, but her eyes held it all. She worked too hard to be insulted like this.

They reached the office in absolutely no time.

Katherine turned to them. "Get inside."

"Yes ma'am." They obeyed without hesitation. They opened the door and went inside.

Once they were inside, Katherine huffed and glanced at the window of the office.

She wished she didn't.

Through the shades, she caught Pulitzer giving her a certain look and she understood immediately.

Goddammit. He wanted her to wait.

She groaned internally and turned her back to the window and leaned on it. She growled. "This better be worth it."

The moment Jack closer the door to the office; he knew he was in big trouble. So naturally, he decided to try playing innocent.

"Good morning General Joe!" He stood as rigid but a smile played on his face. "To who do I owe the pleasure of-"

"Spare me the pleasantries lieutenant." Joe tiredly held up a hand. He put it down and glanced at a telegram he received. "Quite a description from Conlon."

"Yes sir." Jack replied, no longer cocky but the military man he trained to be.

"And you were also following Kelly's example?" Joe raised an eyebrow at Davey.

"Yes sir." Davey replied with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

After a momentary silence, Pulitzer sighed. "You know." He stood up and got face to face with them. "I could get you removed from the Air Force... Permanently."

Jack gulped at that. If there was any punishment he was to endure, it had to be anything but removing him from being a pilot.

"I could demote you. I could do a lot of things Lieutenant." He glowered at Jack with an angry calm in his voice.

"I know sir." Jack replied.

"THEN WHY DO YOU STILL DO IT GODDAMMIT!" Joe yelled and Jack and Davey resisted the urge to wince.

"You always manage to do something so... impulsive. We have RULES Lieutenants." He scolded. "The RULES exist to prevent the inevitable. We can't have pilots dying all the time in training."

He turned his back to them and walked back to his desk. "You know them right? The rules?"

"Yes sir." They both said.

Jack didn't want him to take away his wings. This was the closest he's seen Pulitzer to do so. Jack's hands were clammy against his pants.

Pulitzer continued to yell at them for being so irresponsible for the billionth time. He lectured them again and again about the safety regimen at the base.

At one point, Jack glanced at the office window... through his peripheral vision he saw Major Plumber waiting outside... He wondered if she could here every single word Pulitzer was spitting at them.

"Your misconduct every single day gives me paperwork... Which is a complete waste of my time." Pulitzer moved the papers on the desk. "I don't want to do your paperwork anymore."

Jack felt really nervous at this point. He just didn't want to leave.

"Which is why..." He looked at the two.

Jack braced himself. "This is it. This is the end of my career. Time to find a new job... Maybe selling papes about the pilots..." He thought.

"I'm sending you both to Pearl Harbor." Pulitzer finished and Jack couldn't believe his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it so far!


	3. Chapter 3

"You're going to Pearl Harbor." Pulitzer repeated, studying Jack and Davey's agape mouths.

"S... Sir..." Jack stuttered.

"I'm sending you because our armies need your flying. Your reckless, irresponsible and impractical... Yet somehow skillful and something we have never seen before." Pulitzer raised an eyebrow and handed them both an envelope each. "The air needs you nitwits, as much as I'd hate to admit it."

The boys took it shakily.

"A ticket to Pearl Harbor to both of you." Pulitzer said as the boys could barely contain their apparent excitement.

I mean, a free flight, possibly new planes and... Wow.

"Thank you sir." Jack said, very relieved to still be alive... And to be sent to Pearl Harbor.

"You leave tomorrow." Joe replied.

Jack's eyes trailed to the window, still seeing Katherine lean against the window.

If he was to leave tomorrow, then he couldn't ask her out...

Joe followed his eyes. "What are you looking at Lieutenant?" He asked, even though he knew he was looking at his daughter.

Jack's eyes snapped back to Pulitzer. "Nothing sir."

"Are you looking at Major Plumber?"

Jack's cheeks turned a bit red and he swore he would wipe off Davey's smirk off his face.

"Yes sir."

"And you find her...?" Pulitzer questioned.

"She's very pretty sir, and she's quite a woman... beautiful... Smart... Independent..." Jack knew he just met her, but this was probably different. She was different from all the other girls his team introduced him to.

Joe probably blew his chances with her by sending him away.

"Independent is quite right Mr. Kelly." Pulitzer had a small smile, as if he knew something Jack didn't.

Jack wasn't a sucker, but Katherine was pretty... Really pretty... A tough cookie too. She looks like she would not hesitate to punch him... At all.

The General scratched his beard when he saw his favorite pilot glance at the window again, no doubt thinking about Katherine. "Watch yourself Kelly." He squinted as his voice took on a different mood. He sounded as if he wasn't just talking about the Air Force.

"Sure thing sir."

"I don't want to sign your death. Not even yours Lieutenant Davey."

"Aww. You care sir-" Jack smiled.

"Don't start again Kelly."

Jack smirked.

"I'm not going to miss signing your paperwork."

Jack's eyes sparkled. "You'll miss me General Joe."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're dismissed. And please call Major Plumber in here."

Jack and Davey saluted and went out of the room.

-  
When Katherine heard the door click, she was relieved. The wait was over. She couldn't even eavesdrop. Freaking Dad had thicker walls than the norm.

"About time they finished." She muttered and turned around to nearly be slammed in the face by a door. She quickly moved back, only to find herself in close quarters with Lieutenant Kelly... And she meant really close. When she snapped her head upwards, Jack's face was two inches away from hers. She could stare into his eyes and see the excitement in them.

"Good morning." Jack said as Katherine calmly took a step back.

"Lieutenant." She replied.

An awkward silence passed before Jack decided to speak.

"Look um..." He looked at Davey for support as he scratched the back of his neck. "I'm sorry if I insulted you ma'am... A little while back, uh... I ain't got that much smarts but... I am really sorry..." He looked at her pleadingly.

Katherine paused for a while before saying, "You're forgiven Lieutenant. But never show that level of disrespect to any woman. Or to someone who outranks you for that matter."

"Yes Ma'am." Jack replied.

Katherine stared at her inch high heels before speaking.

"Does the general wish to see me?"

"Yes Ma'am."

She looked at him for a while. "Do you mind getting out of the doorway?"

"Oh, uh... Yeah." Jack looked at the doorway, as if just realizing, his cheeks colored. "I mean no I mind, I mean I don't mind..., um yeah sorry." Jack looked like he wanted to mentally slap himself while he and Davey sidestepped and cleared the doorway. Jack cleared his throat, clearly flustered.

"Well." Katherine straightened her uniform. "I'll see you around gentlemen." She said and took a step forward.

Just before she could go in, Jack called her attention. "Major Plumber?"

She turned. "Yes?" Her blue eyes sparkled.

He looked like wanted to say something more, but the words caught in his throat. His mouth tried to form words until three simple words came out along with a salute. "Pleasure meeting you."

Katherine gave him a small smile and saluted back. "A pleasure meeting you too Lieutenant."

She stepped inside the room and closed the door.

"Sir." Katherine saluted him before being immediately told to sit down.

"I see you've met my personal favorites." Pulitzer looked at her, his hands folded on his desk.

"I have indeed Father." She said and then continued. "Lieutenant Kelly is very... He seems like a handful... Very verbal. Lieutenant Davey seems kind enough."

Pulitzer brushed a speck of dust off his table. "You know... Seems like Kelly has taken a liking to you."

Katherine flinched. She wasn't accustomed to guys liking her anymore, so she didn't reply and she just sat down.

The felling was kind of nice though.

"You wanted to tell me something?" She said, going straight to the point again.

"Ah." Joe said and leaned forward. "Right." He said. "It's about your career..."

She stiffened. "If you're going to tell me to leave the military, I won't listen to you."

"No, no, no." Joe shook his head. "It's not that... It's just that... I believe you're not giving any time of yourself and to live like a woman."

Katherine narrowed her eyes. She was starting to guess where this was going.

"You insist on taking your leaves here instead of being with people outside. You do field missions while your other comrades are with their families."

"My only family is in the military." She thought to herself. "Even he wasn't the type to come home when I was younger. What a hypocrite."

"They spend time with their friends and even have time to enjoy their lives before the day comes that they cannot serve anymore."

Katherine tried to interrupt but Pulitzer kept talking. "You may have your friends inside the camp of course, but have you ever considered... Just stepping back and enjoying yourself a bit?"

She couldn't believe what her father was telling her. He was indirectly telling her to leave.

Pulitzer has a silver tongue and he was using it on her, and not only that... One of his reasons was to live life like a woman. He made it sound like that a life of a woman is so different from that of a man.

He sounded like he was going to send her home, but she would not, not when she was on the brink of getting a new assignment.

"Sir." She tried to not to come off cold, but his eyes told her otherwise. "I'm very capable of living my life. I don't need you to tell me what my duties are here in camp. With your gracious permission sir. I ask to be dismissed."

Joe signed, not expecting anything less from his headstrong and independent daughter. "You're dismissed. But do not forget what I have told you."

She stood up quickly, exited and made sure to slam the door behind her.

Jack cursed himself, he was so sure that he should've asked her out... And then what? To come back to the barracks with a new black eye and an interesting story?

Even if she did say yes, where would it go? He was leaving tomorrow and there was no point falling head over heels for a girl he just met... Even if she was different.

He shook his head to keep out the thoughts and focused at the task at hand.

"Are you coming Davey?" Jack asked as he eagerly packed his things as Davey stood over his bed, as if he wasn't going to pack.

"It's not like I have a choice." Davey replied as he slowly started to empty his locker.

Jack smirked as he finished off filing his duffel bag. "Why such a long face ha?" Jack put an arm around his shoulders.

"I just... I don't know." Davey sighed and put a white t-shirt in his bag. "What will Les say? He's going to be without a brother for a while... and my folks... Do I just tell them that in leaving for..." Davey pursed his lips, probably thinking he'd be gone for longer than usual... Since he was so far away.

Jack frowned, not being very experienced in this matter, having being orphaned at a young age. "Davey." Jack leaned on his own arm. "I might not be very good at givin advice with this type of topic, but I think they'll be so proud. Les always wanted you to fly somewhere else. Your folks put you here. They let you come here." Jack turned Davey to face him. "I know you want to go. It's up to you Davey. But if I were you... I'd go. I ain't lettin you miss your chance to fly."

Davey took a deep breath. "You really think so?"

"I ain't leavin General Joe without my eyes and ears. How can I stay out of trouble?"

Davey managed a smile. "Yeah... I suppose you're right. I can't let you have all the fun."

"That's my wingman." Jack slapped Davey's shoulder. "Now come on. We gotta finish packin so we can give our last words to our sorry team."

Few minutes and several traffic violations later, Katherine arrived at her base. She parked her car with precision and made her way to the Governor's office.

She knocked and once she heard a grunt, she went in.

"You wanted to see me sir?" She smoothed her skirt then saluted her superior.

"Yes I did." He turned around and scratched his mustache. "I won't be long major, I know you got somewhere to be."

"Well actually, I have things to plan and I have to finish them by tomorrow afternoon-" she imagined the pile of work she had to do, and not to mention the talks she'd have to give all those under her.

"What if I told you that you have to finish them today." The Governor interrupted her.

Katherine blinked. "Sir?"

"You heard me." He said and sat down on his chair. "Today Katherine."

"And why do you wish for me to finish creating a strategy today general?" She said, quite confused. Strategies and plans take time to plan. She was only halfway through and she's been working on it since yesterday. She had a full plate.

"Well, since you've been quite sanguine in terms of your skills in the field and I find you quite skilled, which is rare by the way."

Katherine tried not to blush, but failed miserably. It was quite rare that the Governor gives any sort of compliment to anyone, much less her. "Thank you sir, I-"

"Let me finish." He interrupted again. "You have to finish today because I'm sending you into a bigger field."

"Sir?"

"The army where I'm sending you requires a leader, a natural born leader... A certain Major perhaps." He looked directly at Katherine. "I want you to supervise the troops there, train as well and possibly train some of our men and women down there on the ground. I know you are very much capable of doing so." He smiled. "And I know you hate anything to do with the air. So I know it's a good chance for you to show your... Father what you can do."

Katherine gulped with anticipation. "And you are sending me where exactly tomorrow?"

The general picked a brown folder from his table and held it out for Katherine to take. "Pearl Harbor."


	4. Chapter 4

She took the envelope with much thanks and "The Governor" gave her a few words before she rushed out the door.

"Katherine, you don't forget to be careful. It ain't easy being in Pearl Harbor. It might be easy to lose yourself there in Hawaii."

Katherine, who was still trying to take it all in looked up. "Uh... Why would I lose myself sir?" She was reading the words on the letter inside the envelope- a recommendation letter from the overall commander, or the most respected man in the military.

She knew that it was bombed three or four months ago. Hundreds of lives lost. She knew that the military and the government were working side by side in order to retaliate, since they just declared war on the Japanese. They've been fighting them ever since. Katherine did not know whether or not she was grateful for being here in New York instead of there with her brothers and sisters.

And believe me, she was one with the cause to wreak vengeance.

"It's..." He rubbed his face and cupped his chin. "Complicated... Just whatever happens there... Don't lose sight of who you are and what you fight for. I've been in a field before Katherine... 22 years ago, when I was just as young as your father was then, we were both overseeing World War One... It was..." He shuddered.

"You don't have to talk about it sir." Katherine stood up from his chair. She was a standard three years old back then, she usually remembered seeing her father tired and with injuries, limping through the house late at night... Only to leave again in the morning. "But I understand completely." She wasn't a rookie in the field. She understood what choices you had to make, along with who to save and who to leave.

The Gov took a deep breath and faced Katherine. "Good luck Major." He raised a hand to salute her. "It was a pleasure working with you."

Katherine saluted her superior for possibly he very last time. "The pleasure is mine Governor."

The Governor smiled. "You're dismissed Katherine."

"Thank you Sir." And with that, Major Plumber exited the room, barely able to keep her cool.

-LINE BREAK-

"Yeah right there." Davey pointed to a simple house in a nice neighborhood. Just by looking at the house, it seemed like they were pretty well off. No signs of decay, no nothing.

Jack wondered what it would be like to actually have a house that nice. He wasn't... Well he couldn't remember if he had one. The orphanages he stayed in and the foster homes weren't the nicest ones.

"Davey, for Christ's sake I know where your house is." Jack complained again since Davey kept giving him directions.

"I'm just making sure. You get lost sometimes."

"In the air Davey. In. The. Air." Jack pulled over and parked the automobile in his driveway. He killed the engine and both boys jumped out of the car. "And that was when my GPS broke down. You had a fully functional GPS and I managed to get back."

"You were followin my six man."

"Well you're my wingman, man." Jack replied with a smirk.

They walked up the steps and stood in front of the door.

Davey didn't move for a while. "You know, I haven't been at home for a while... I haven't seen Les in a while... What would their reaction be when I arrive and only be there to tell them that I already packed my bags, that I'm here to pick up some stuff and that I'm going to Pearl Harbor for God knows how long."

"You do know Pulitzer let you off on his birthday. That was a month ago." Jack bit the end of his glasses. "Completely unrelated I know but," he shrugged. "You've seen them."

Davey took a shaky breath. "Still..."

Jack sighed and knocked on the door (pretty loudly) for his nervous friend.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Davey whisper-shouted and punched Jack in the arm.

"You weren't gonna do it if we were standin here for a billion years." Jack have him a sarcastic look. "You're welcome."

Davey rolled his eyes. "If you're like this in the Harbor I don't even know how I'm gonna-"

"Coming!" A young boy's voice came from behind the door.

"Ya might wanna hurry up there Les!" Jack called, which resulted in another dirty look from Davey.

"Jack?!" He heard the muffled voice exclaim. The door opened and there stood a short, young boy, around 12 years of age. "Davey!" Les smiled his widest. Then he realized he had the little brother act to play, he dropped the smile and crossed his arms. "You're back."

"Good to see you too little brother." Davey stepped in his house and ruffled Les' hair. "Are mom and dad awake?"

"In your stinkin dreams." Les replied sarcastically.

Jack, as usual, didn't want to intrude without being invited. So he stood by the doorway until Les told him to get his ass into the house.

"Jack. How many times do I have to tell you that you can get your pilot ass in here!" Les went behind Jack and pushed him into the house. "It ain't like we gotta give Davey some space. He's got enough of that already..."

"Heard that!" Jack heard Davey from the living room.

"I know!" Les yelled and kicked the door with his foot.

Jack laughed good heartedly. Nothing like a little family feuding to get him smiling in the morning. "Is ya mom and pa home?" Jack asked and picked up Les and put him in his shoulder.

"Hey!" Les protested. He couldn't do anything against Jack's natural strength though, since he was half his size, possibly less.

"Because if they're still sleepin they should be awake because of all the noise we've been makin." Jack continued to talk as if he wasn't carrying a kid on his shoulder.

"Jack put me down!" Les hit Jack repeatedly and tried to kick his way out of it.

"No can do." He said and spun around. "I just love messing around with ya!"

Jack kept playing around with Les, making as much racket as possible.

"Will you please not break anything!" Davey called again. "You already broke more than one frame in this house in your lifetime Newsboy!"

"I ain't makin any promises to ya." Jack moved to narrowly avoid smashing Les's head into the wall. "I can't keep them breakables. They're too attracted to the floor anyway."

He could practically hear Davey rolling his eyes from where he was, then he heard something else, like a set of feet moving on the floor above him.

"Jack Kelly is that you?" Jack stopped moving and turned his head to the source of the voice, descending from he stairs was Davey's ma, followed by his pa.

They were around the same age as General Joe, which was to say in their early fifties or so. Davey's ma had his eyes and the color of his hair, but his pa had his height and his facial structure, and possibly his body structure if it was a little leaner.

"The one and only." Jack smiled and adjusted the young boy on his shoulder. "But your son is there too in the living room, just in case you wanted to know."

She smiled. "Oh that's great. Sorry we woke up so late dear-"

"You are our natural alarm clocks anyway." Davey's pa grumbled as he could made their way down the stairs. "All that noise..."

"Anyway." She put a hand on her husband's chest. "I'll just whip up some breakfast and we can go talk about what you're here for hm? It isn't your breaks yet I assume."

Jack looked at his feet, still ignoring the wriggling Les on his shoulder. "Um... Davey will explain to you ma'am... And sir."

Five minutes later, Jack decided to dump Les on the sofa and sit down on it, on the sofa, not Les. Davey's ma was in the kitchen and his dad was at the dining table reading newspaper. Jack was sure that Joe put in a little something to remind those people readin the papes to avoid being reckless and irresponsible.

Davey was sitting next to his brother rubbing his knees and looking generally terrible.

"Davey." Jack said softly. "Just tell 'em already. You might as well-"

"I know I know, I just can't... I..." Davey put his face in his hands. "What if..."

"No more what ifs. There are no what ifs in the air and no what ifs in life. Ya always go for it. If ya always say what if, how would ya know what isn't an if?" Jack poked Davey in the shoulder.

"You're... Probably right again... I should probably tell them-"

"What are you gonna tell us?" Les inquired, a little too loudly.

Jack resisted the urge to slap the kid at the back of his noggin. Sometimes he's a bit too loud for his taste, on certain matters of course.

"Oh yeah Dave." Davey's mom said from the kitchen where the smell of freshly cooked eggs wafted through the whole house. "What is it you wanted to tell us?"

"Um... Uh... I..." Davey stuttered to find the right words, his face was still buried in his hands.

"What is it?" His dad put down his newspaper. "The Force didn't call, does it only concern the both of you?" He raised an eyebrow and gave Davey a look that made Jack sure that it was the look he gave Les when he was in trouble.

Jack put a hand on Davey's back and glared at Les. "Well. The reason we was going to come here was to tell you that..." He started to figure that it wasn't so easy to formulate the words. "Well, we was sent to..."

"Sent to...?" Les leaned in to listen. "Sent to where exactly?"

Davey took his face out of his hands only to say two words that silenced the whole household. "Pearl Harbor." He said, barely a whisper and he put his face in his hands again.

His mom stopped cooking and Les's jaw dropped and his dad's jaw hardened.

"We was chosen to fly in their Air Force by General Pulitzer." Jack continued and rubbed Davey's back. "We are special pilots you see?" Jack attempted to lighten the mood, seeing that the family was shell-shocked. "Pulitzer said we are needed. They was just bombed remember? They need to up their defenses."

Jack pursed his lips as he noticed silence went around the household as they tried to take in the news. He could practically feel their thoughts running several miles an hour thinking about what could and would happen that they were leaving.

"So... When will you be going?" Les finally asked the clincher and broke the silence.

"Tomorrow." Davey managed to say, his voice soft.

"What?!" Les exclaimed and stood up. "What did you say?!"

"Tomorrow Les." Davey looked at him. "We're leaving tomorrow."

Les's eyes filled with confusion. "T-tomorrow? You'll be gone tomorrow?" He stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. "Tomorrow..."

"Les." Jack started, but he couldn't find the words to say.

Davey's mom turned off the stovetop and walked towards them. She gently put a hand on his shoulder and took a deep breath, as if the words she'd say weren't the ones she'd see herself say to her son. "I can't say I don't want you to go..." She held Davey's face and looked at him with such motherly love it made Jack's heart ache. "But I am so proud of you."

"Mom..." Davey hugged his mom tight. Jack had to move a bit to make space for the two of them go hug it out.

"You know Davey." His dad stood up and went to him. "It's pretty tough out there, you make sure you come back in one piece alright?" He shook his shoulder. "I know you can do this."

Les was the only one not joining the family, for he still looked like he couldn't understand the mere fact that his brother was leaving, and he was probably imagining that he might never come back.

"Les." Davey held out his hand.

Les rubbed his eyes with his sleeves. "Why do you have to go?" His voice cracked and his eyes were rimmed with red.

"It's our duty to serve Les..." Davey said, his eyes pleading. "I have to go."

Les shook his head and slowly walked to his brother. "No you don't. You don't have to go."

"Les..."

"You don't have to go! Don't leave us!" Les raised his voice to him.

Davey's eyes widened in shock at his brother's sudden outburst. For as long as Jack knew this family, it wasn't like Les to go nuclear.

Les turned on his heel and ran up the stairs. "You can't go!" He screamed, "You're just thinking about your stinking duty! You're just thinking about yourself! I... I.. I hate you!"

"Les!" Davey called after him and tried to stand up as they all heard a loud bang of a door.

"Davey don't." His mom said and pulled him back to a seating position. "He's just shocked. I'll explain to him later."

Jack saw genuine pain in Davey's expression. "Will he be okay?" He asked.

"He'll be fine Dave." His father said. "If he's anything like you, he will understand."

"I wish." Dave fiddled with his sunglasses. "I wish I could bring him with me, I wish I could bring all of you with me but..."

His father shook his head. "All this time you've been thinking about us. I think you should go, stop thinking about us. This is an opportunity to be the hero you always wanted to be." He held his son's shoulders. "You'll make us proud."

This whole time, Jack felt kind of awkward, deciding that it was getting a bit too personal for his taste, he coughed and stood up from the couch. "Well, um... Davey. You have a box in your... Um room... Uh... I think..."

Davey realized that it was probably time to stop the drama and do what he was supposed to do. "Well... I'm going to pack." He said and stood up. "I'm just going to get some stuff and we'll be on our way back..."

"Y...yes of course." His mom stuttered. "Go on pack honey..."

Davey walked away from his parents and he and Jack went upstairs to pack his stuff.

Needless to say, the boys packed pretty quickly, considering that Davey barely took anything, he just took a couple of shirts and clothes and some extra stuff that they probably wouldn't actually need. They dumped it in a bag and Jack carried it.

"Kelly-" Davey protested.

"You've got enough on ya shoulders alright? Ya let me take this burden alright?" Before Davey could protest any more, Jack already made his way out of his room and down the stairs.

Around thirty minutes later, they were saying their goodbyes, Davey's mom hugging both of them and his pa telling them to stay safe.

"Just tell Les that..." Davey pursed his lips. "You know..."

"I understand son." His dad said and pulled him into a hug. "He'll be alright... Just stay safe."

Jack was already in the car, but he couldn't help but feel his eyes prickle. It hurt to see this scene where duty came before family, a scene in which where he couldn't exactly relate to.

Davey walked to the car and got inside. Jack wordlessly started the car and started driving.

"You never know how long we'd be gone." Davey finally said after ten minutes of a silent drive. "Or if we'd ever be coming back."

"Don't say that." Jack chastised him. "Time heals things ha? Don't start talkin like that, can't have my wingman bringin me down hm?"

Davey stared mournfully out the window. "We'll see..."

Jack sighed, thinking that he did his best to cheer up his wingman and drove back to camp.

THE NEXT DAY...

Katherine Plumber was seated comfortably on her window seat. She wasn't wearing her uniform if you were wondering, she wore a simple white blouse and slacks. Her hair was in a neat ponytail and her shoes were simple black flats.

She sighed in her seat, thinking that she was assigned to something important, even though it was... Well it wasn't exactly that hard to say goodbye to her friends and family, they understood how much of a psycho she was when it came to her duty.

They understood that Katherine Plumber was a well-oiled military machine.

Her thoughts wondered back to yesterday, though it seemed so long ago. She remembered the young man she met, well, a man that was about her age. Lieutenant Kelly. Despite his overly cocky attitude, he made up for it with that sincere apology he gave her when he came out of her father's office. She was excellent at reading people and figured that he was actually a pretty good person. He wasn't bad-looking either, in fact, if she was to admit it... He looked good actually.

She bit her lip. She never has thought of a man like that in such a long time. She never paid attention before to their physicality nor anything about them... But...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a flight attendant calling her attention. "Um miss?" She said.

Katherine blinked and turned to the flight attendant. "Yes?"

"Well, there's been a mix-up regarding the seats and the seat next to you was supposedly vacant, would you mind if someone sat next to you?"

Katherine was bewildered. Normally airlines wouldn't make this sort of mistake, but figured that mistakes were inevitable. "Um... Sure there is no problem with that."

"Thank you ma'am... Sir, you may take your seat." The flight attendant waved someone over.

Katherine groaned. She wanted some space to herself on this aircraft. She wished that the military would pay for a better plane, but unfortunately most of the funds were going to the war, not to first class seats to Hawaii.

She looked out the window, watching the employees do final checks on the aircraft. She heard her new seatmate seat next to her. She looked over her shoulder to see who it was and... Noticed the brown hair and the beautiful- I mean sparkling- I mean brown eyes, the set jaw, the small smirk on his face...

She was looking right at Lieutenant Jack Kelly... The man was being sent to the Harbor too? She cousins believe it... Part of her found herself relieved to did out that she wouldn't be alone, but somewhat vexed that she'd be with him... On the flight.

Jack looked at her and it was too late to turn away.

"Major Plumber!" He said ecstatically.

"Lieutenant..." She said with a soft smile. "Fancy seeing you here."

"For a powerful woman in the army, you spend an awful amount of time with the Air... You following me?" Jack asked with a hand to his chest and an infuriating smirk dancing on his lips.

"Ahahah..." Katherine fake laughed. "No. I was sent to Pearl Harbor."

"Oh? Me too!" Jack said and leaned towards her, invading her personal space. "They need you there too?"

"Yes Lieutenant..." She replied, moving closer to the window. "I was sent there for necessity."

"Please, call me Jack." Jack stuck out his hand. She noticed that he was wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt over his fitted white shirt and khaki knee-length shorts and sandals. "We ain't in the military at the moment, so may we drop the formalities? It would be hard to talk to ya with that title."

What a tourist outfit she thought as she looked at his hand, thinking whether or not to shake it. "Well... Jack, we may drop the formalities. Call me Katherine, or Ace if you want to go by what they nickname me back there." She shook his hand, it was warm and calloused after piloting for long hours, she noticed.

"Katherine or Ace ha?" He raised an eyebrow, smiled and (irritatingly) still did not let go of her hand. "Nice names."

She glanced at their hands. Both their grips were quite strong, she let up a bit. "Jack is a nice name too."

"Thanks."

A few seconds passed in silence and they just looked at each other.

"May I have my hand back now Jack?" She asked politely.

Jack only realized this now and let go of her hand. "Um... Sorry Ace." He attempted to hide his blush. "Um... Anyway... Would you like to... Talk?"

"Sure." Katherine replied immediately. "Consider this... Off record."

Jack smiled again. "Great."

So that's how it started, even before they took off, they talked to each other, trying to know stuff about their lives and what not. They talked throughout the flight, the middle of the flight and even landing.

Katherine enjoyed the conversation (much to her surprise) and found that he was a really nice guy when they both weren't on their "kill-the-enemy" mode.

They talked about their favorite colors (weird) movies, animals... Etc, I could make a list.

Later in the flight, she found out that he was an orphan, he ran away from several foster homes and enlisted when he was too old to be in an orphanage, 18... Since he had no where to go.

She sensed he was hiding something else, but she didn't press, she just met him like what? Yesterday?

He gave her a lot of information, and she saw that he went through a lot, she could look into his eyes and see that sparkle of mischief and that sadness of trying to find a place where he can go.

She told him that her father was never really a real father to her since he was always gone, (not a lie, not the whole truth either) and her mother... Well, she died after giving birth to her.

"Suppose we are both orphans then ha?" He said with a smirk after telling their stories.

"Yeah." Katherine gave him a small smile, knowing that he was trying to get out of the depressing topic.

Well, it was a long flight. You can imagine how much they talked.

When they finally landed, Jack (after how many hours of not looking at his wingman, who Katherine also failed to notice was in the seat after the aisle) woke up Davey and they got their bags.

"Do you want me to get your bags?" Jack asked as she stood up from her seat.

"No. No. It's fine, I got it." Katherine walked out of her seat and got the bag with ease, and a little tiptoeing.

She turned and bumped into Kelly, being close to each other... For the second time in two days.

"Sorry." She muttered, avoiding eye contact with him as the plane doors opened and passengers filed out.

After getting her bags, Katherine was standing outside the airport, breathing in the sea air. She was waiting for a cab to pass by.

She didn't see the lieutenant at where you get the bags since it was pretty crowded and she felt a pang of guilt, after talking for how many hours, she don't say good bye at least.

She shook the silly thoughts out of her head. "Enough Ace. Focus on the task at hand."

She saw a cab. "Taxi!" She cried and waved her hand.

The cabbie saw her and parked right in front of her. The driver got out and helped her with her bags.

"Thank you." Katherine said as he put her bags in the trunk.

"No problem ma'am." He said and smiled at her. "Welcome to Hawaii." He went back into the driver's seat.

Just as Ace was about to go in, she heard someone call her name.

"Ace!"

She turned around, of course it was the ever persistent Jack Kelly and his wingman.

"Would you like to go have a meal somewhere?" He said loudly enough for people around to hear. "Like dinner? Lunch?" He spread his arms and took a breath.

Katherine tried to process his question. She hasn't been asked that in a while, and she didn't know how to reply.

"Sure." The words left her mouth before she could stop them. "We'll see when I'm available, come find me Lieutenant, if you can."

She opened the door and went inside the cab without another word to the lieutenant.

"Pearl Harbor." She said to the driver.

As the cabbie drove forward, her face was red, eyes were wide and she was confused.

The only thought she was thinking throughout the whole drive was:

"Shit. I said yes?"


	5. Chapter 5

Jack couldn't believe his ears.

"Davey." Jack stood there, not moving. "Punch me I think I'm dreamin."

Davey obliged and punched Jack hard on his arm.

"Ow!" Jack exclaimed and rubbed the spot where Davey punched him. "I ain't dreamin." He said as if hit realizing that. "Davey, did she really say yes?"

"Yes." Davey said flatly but with a hint of him being impressed. "I am quite surprised that she did though."

"Well we was talkin the whole flight, whaddya expect?" Jack smiled, beaming that he finally had a date after so long.

"Well yeah, you ignored me the whole flight." Davey grumbled. "So naturally I noticed."

"I didn't ignore you!" Jack protested as he did a New York Taxicab whistle, a sharp sound that probably everyone outside heard. "I let you talk a bit."

"After three or four tries." Davey retorted. "I managed to get you to peel your eyes off your ranking officer."

"At least." Jack said as a cab pulled over in front of them.

"You aren't even sure if she's available. You don't even know where exactly is she staying."

"Oh please Davey." The duo walked to the trunk and opened it. "That can be easily done." They out their bags inside and Jack slammed it shut, barely missing Davey's fingertips.

Davey rolled his eyes as they got in the passenger seats. "Oh please Jack." He copied Jack's cocky tone. "Do you even know where to take her?"

Jack looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You know Lieutenant Davey, you sound like you are trying to stop me."

"I am not trying to stop you from having your "date" with the Major, I'm just saying that even if she said yes, you have a lot of planning to do." Davey explained. "I mean, I don't know me about the army itself but Major Plumber's strategies always work on the field, so doesn't it bother you that if you don't plan a date properly, Katherine might do something..."

"You kiddin right? I don't remember plannin any dates before..." Jack thought about it more, he doubted that he planned anything before the military. He was more spontaneous than tactical.

"Where to?" The cabbie asked, looking at them through the rearview mirror.

"Pearl Harbor." Jack said to him.

The cab pulled out of his parking spot and wheeled away from the airport.

"Maybe," Davey continued to argue with Jack. "Maybe you didn't ever have a proper date before."

"I did, back in high school..." Jack frowned. He did remember he had some dates... Like one or two... Not necessarily successful ones, but they were dates.

Or were they group works? Crap, he couldn't remember.

"Kelly. This is probably different. She's a MAJOR, you don't expect it to be easy right?"

"I know it ain't gonna be easy." Jack replied and looked out the window. "But at least I'll be tryin."

Davey leaned back on the leather backrest, defeated. "Fine, but if this goes to hell, you ain't going to blame me."

"Sure." Jack waved his hand. "Whatever."

The rest of the drive, they didn't talk about Jack's imminent date with the Major and instead watched the Hawaii life they were about to embark on through the cab windows.

Things are goin to be very different, Jack thought to himself.

"We ain't in Kansas anymore Toto." Davey muttered to Jack.

"I ain't Toto." Jack asked, confused. "Who ya talkin to?"

"You didn't read-" Davey's eyes widened.

"What one of your lit books in your chest back in the barracks? Of course not." Jack shrugged. "I don't even know whatcha talkin about."

"It's... Never mind, we're fine."

-LINE BREAK-

KATHERINE immediately met up with the superior there, General Andrews, (A/N: I'm making things up okay) a man known for his tactics and intellect.

In the base, she could see the after effects of December 7, 1941. The ramparts were still in shambles and there were still buildings that were practically reduced to rubble. The place itself had a heavy and tense atmosphere, as if the entire base was holding its breath and the people were just waiting for another attack. Everyone seemed to be in a rush, and barely any smiles were there to greet Katherine.

General Andrews was in his 50's or late 40's, he was still in shape and looked like he could kill a Jap in a blink of an eye and without breaking a sweat.

He had salt and pepper hair and striking blue eyes, he did look very intimidating. The good thing she noted was that he had smile lines around his eyes so she decided that this man wasn't a total prick like her father.

"Major Pulitzer." He greeted her after she saluted him.

"It's Major Plumber actually." She replied, attempting to not get annoyed and snap back. She never wanted to use her real name. She didn't want to be known as General Joe's daughter.

"Plumber?" The man raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to use his name?"

"Yes sir. I'd also prefer if my name is Katherine Plumber all the time sir." She replied smoothly with an undertone of firmness.

He took a deep breath. "Very well, you were sent here by my colleague, Governor to watch my troops and train them to be the best of the best."

"Yes sir."

"You will start training tomorrow morning, no excuse for any jet lag. You can make up for the five or six hour difference."

"No excuses sir."

"Training starts at 6AM sharp, you will stay in the same barracks or residence as the other trainers, which is nearly empty... only a couple of trainers will be there, and they will assist you tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir."

"Uniform is on the chest at the foot of your bed, your name is on the foot by the way."

Katherine smiled a bit, she remembered her own bed at her barracks. Even though she was promoted to Major, she had a house in the base camp, she had an office and everything, she still sometimes slept with her troops...

Wait that sounded wrong, I mean she sometimes slept in the barracks with her does this because nothing beats a cheap bed and they sound of the bugle waking her up in the morning.

"And you are also to..." General Andrews continued and checked the papers on his desk. "Well, go into the field, lead, fight and..." He sighed. "The usual."

"Of course sir."

"I may warn you though that my men will not take you seriously. You are a woman after all, not that I doubt your skills in any way." He added the last part quickly. "I've seen your Academy grades and your firing scores, excellent. Everything I saw was better or equal to my best man here."

"Thank you sir." Inside she beamed with pride, it wasn't everyday she would get a compliment like that.

"My men, they are very skilled as well, but of course mostly lieutenants, privates... rookies. It's quite a mix, whatever rank they will be, they will not take you seriously. I warn you.

"May I do what I must do that they may take me seriously?" She asked, a sly smile playing on her face.

"What do you have in mind?"

Katherine smiled, she did have a lot of things in mind to keep the boys in their places.

-LINE BREAK-

JACK Kelly paid the cab with money from Davey's wallet. They got out of the cab, grabbed their bags and walked to the base address written on the envelope Joe gave them.

As they were walking, a lightbulb appeared in Jack's mind. "Hey uh, Davey..."

"Jack. I don't like that look in your eyes." Davey said as he readjusted the strap of his duffel bag. "What are you gonna ask me?"

"Well, Pearl Harbor is uh... One place only right?"

"Yes it is."

"So around how big do ya think it is?"

"I ain't sure Jack, but what I am sure of this that you ain't gonna find Major Plumber quickly."

"What makes you think I was thinkin about the Major?"

"I know you Kelly. You just asked the girl out, and you want to find her."

"Pfft. Whatever. I'm just making sure of the location." He frowned for a second and stopped walking. "Wait. You really think so?"

Davey rolled his eyes. "Race you to the base and the General's office?"

Jack smiled, though he took note that Davey didn't answer his question. "You are on."

The two boys ran to the base... Not even thinking about where the actual location was nor where they will be going.

If you can imagine, they did get lost along the way and they had to eventually ask for directions. Most of the people were annoyed with them and most would make remarks about how the configuration kind of changed because of the bombing. Jack couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt because of the smiles on their faces when they arrived. He felt like he was them from before the bombing, before they lost their friends to the Japanese. Hopeful and ready to fight.

Around ten minutes of wandering around and another ten to actually get there later, the two burst into General McArthur's office, very winded.

(A/N: Please forgive my history from this point onwards... Let's say its historical fiction but I'll try to read on it... Or of course you could give a helpful review... Haha. I'll read.)

"Are you two the ones Joe sent?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, studying the two sweaty boys in their civilian clothing.

"Yes... Sir..." Davey managed to reply and the two raised their arms in a weak salute.

"Well. Since I've heard you're the best pilots around here, I don't suppose you would show off a bit tomorrow..."

"Not a problem..." Jack took a breath. "Sir."

"After mandatory training of course." The general drummed his fingers on the table.

Jack took a deep breath. "Training sir?"

"Yes, with the Army."

"The army?"

"Well, they do the same physical exercise as we do, and technically speaking we did branch from them originally. We are all part of the army, it's just that we specialize in air support."

"With all due respect sir." Jack managed to steady his breathing already. "Why would we need to do that? I feel like we got all know how already."

"I just want to assess your physical abilities. It's just one day." He looked at them challengingly. "Are you afraid of being shown up?"

"No sir." Jack replied quickly.

"I have seen both your records though, but seeing is believing. It's tougher here than your safe haven New York..."

Jack restrained himself from butting in. He guessed he was also affected by the bombing. He could see that the General had scars that didn't look as old as WWI.

"You will train, just for a day."

Jack and Davey nodded.

"Moving on, you boys will stay in the same barracks as my other men."

"Yes sir." The two answered in unison.

"The rules here apply to you. Failure to comply with the rules, I will personally strap you to my plane and fly you back to General Joe." General McArthur explained the rules to the two of them, a lot of them were mainly about conduct, which Jack Kelly was really bad at.

"I understand though both of you enjoy taking risks in the air, here, if you are to take these risks, t may or may not end in punishment. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed. I'll watch your training tomorrow."

They saluted him and walked out of his office. When Jack was sure they were out of earshot, he groaned as loud as he could.

Davey clamped a hand over Jack's mouth. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Do you want to get shot back to New York?!"

Jack removed Davey's hand from his mouth. "Training?! Training?! Davey! We have to go training?!" Jack groaned again. "I thought we was done with training."

"It's just a physical assessment." Davey said to him. "Nothing big."

Jack rubbed his face with his hands. "Still! We was supposed to be pilots here, not some rookies..." Jack complained.

"Just remember, training never ends." Davey shrugged. "Who knows? We might learn something new."

Jack tried not to groan again in frustration. "If you will be wrong Davey..."

"Let's just get through the assessment and hit the hay early today okay? We have to adjust already." Davey yawned. "The time here is very different from New York."

"You said it." Jack yawned and stretched his arms. "Let's go find that barracks ha?"

"Yeah. Good luck with that." Davey said as the two of them walked to the barracks... Or in the general direction of the barracks.

What Jack didn't know was that he was going to have a very interesting training session the very next day.

-LINE BREAK-

TOMORROW: 0600 hours

Katherine woke up earlier than what she was supposed to, she just couldn't contain her eagerness to train.

The people in her barracks were very... respectful, despite the fact that they were five boys and one girl. The boys treated her with respect and she became friends with the woman she met.

She found the uniform they gave her, a white t-shirt with the words "Trainer" printed in bold black font on the front and on the bottom of the back of her shirt was her nickname, Ace. The pants were grey cargo pants that fit her perfectly and black combat boots that fit her feet really well. They were not too snug nor were they too loose

When she woke up, she immediately went to the largest training field in the base (of course after a good breakfast). She stated stretching and warming up thirty minutes before the people she was to train arrived.

While she was doing that, her mind subconsciously drifted to Lieutenant Jack Kelly, nothing in particular, she just thought about him. She found him quite... different than the other testosterone fueled men she met in the military. He had his way with words and he did fit her description of an ideal male...

She shook her head. "None of that Ace. Think about it later." She continued to warm-up and only stopped when the people she was to train arrived.

They came in in groups, sometimes solo, she counted that there were about forty-five boys and five girls. Fifty people to train in total. They wore grey camo pants, combat boots and white t-shirts

It wasn't a bad number, it was about the same number of people she lead in the field. She could handle this.

Her trainers arrived a few minutes before the troops arrived, along with an older man, a general probably. She guessed that he was there to supervise.

Her trainers they wore the same outfit as her.

"It's Katherine right?" The girl trainer asked, the Latino... Mercedes, she had coffee colored skin and straight dark brown hair that touched her shoulders. She was built like a runner, not buff, but fit.

"Yes, that's me. Ace is my nickname." She said as she got up from doing her plank. "It says on the shirt."

"Right." She said and scratched the back of her neck. "Listen um... Welcome to Pearl Harbor. I've been here for about a year already, it's actually pretty great." She cringed. "Except for what happened." Her mood suddenly changed, as if she was reliving the moment. "Lots of people were not prepared. I hate those bastards for attacking on a fucking Sunday. I'm ready to whip up these trainees into shape so that we can wreak vengeance on those Japs."

Katherine smiled. "Thanks." She looked over her shoulder, to see that there were trainees coming in.

"Mercedes right?" Katherine asked the girl.

"Yeah... That's me." She replied.

"Let's get these people trained shall we?" She said with a small smile. "We have to make sure we can beat them to hell."

"I'll follow your lead Major." She said and watched as Katherine walked up to the now assembled men and five women.

"Morning!" Katherine said loudly. "My name is Major Katherine and I'll be your trainer today."

A sound of bewilderment and looks of disbelief rippled through the men.

She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes, of course they would react that way.

"You will listen to me. I was sent here by the general back in New York to train you, to get you in shape to fight for our country. I may lead you in battle-"

"Who said we should listen to you?!" Someone yelled at the back. "You're just a wo-"

Katherine didn't let him finish as she pulled out her pistol and shot the ground in between his feet. He was at the back and she was able to hit the ground in between his feet despite the number of people who failed to move out of the way.

She didn't shoot anyone of course, that just wasn't in her nature, but she did have to make them listen.

"That's why." She said and put her pistol back in the pocket of her cargo pants. The men looked at her in disbelief and the five women there looked triumphant.

"Any more quest-"

Ace faltered as she heard the sound of feet hitting the ground. She looked at the source of it and she really couldn't believe her eyes and ears.

Jack and Davey were running to the field... Late.

Please Lord, not here. She thought to herself.

Unfortunately the Lord did not answer her prayers because Lieutenant Jack and Lieutenant Davey ran into the assembly, staying near the front.

She cleared we throat as Jack gave her a sheepish grin. "I see we have two late arrivals." She raised an eyebrow at the two. "Reasons for your tardiness are...?"

"We slept in by accident Ma'am." Davey said and looked straight while Jack looked like he had the urge to grin.

She looked at Jack. "Anything else to say gentlemen? I am quite aware you two are from the Air Force, what is your business here?"

"Physical assessment ma'am." Jack coughed and he moved his eyes to the left. "Sent here by General McArthur."

Katherine followed his eyes to the older man she saw walk in earlier.

"Sir." She saluted the general and he saluted back. The rest of the people there did so as well.

"At ease." General McArthur said and walked up to Katherine. She resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose, she really hates the strong smell of aftershave, which of course he had.

"I hope this isn't a problem for you Major."

"No sir. Not a problem at all."

He studied her from head to toe. "You'll be training them?"

His tone was laced with doubt. Another one of those who stereotype women. "I am capable of training them sir. I can even discipline them."

He raised an eyebrow and walked away without another word. He stood at the edge of the field, but not out of earshot.

"Since you two are late," Katherine resisted the urge to smile. "Drop down and give me-"

"Twenty?" Jack Kelly had the balls to interrupt her and along with that slightly endearing smile of his flashed in front of her.

"Thirty." She said in a cold tone. "For rudely interrupting me." She wasn't that much of a cold person to begin with, but when in the military, she couldn't afford to be just Katherine, she was Ace. Major extraordinaire. It wasn't the proper time to fraternize with the lieutenant.

Jack Kelly opened his mouth to protest but his kind wingman stepped on his foot. "Now." Katherine ordered. She glared at Jack, daring him to protest. Slightly to her disappointment, he didn't protest and both he and Davey were on the ground doing the push-ups.

She turned to the rest. "The rest of you, follow me. Five mile run as warm-up and then we come back here to do some drills and hand to hand. Captain Mercedes," she turned to the girl she talked to earlier. "You watch the lieutenants and make sure they catch up."

"Yes ma'am." She said with a slight smirk.

"Move out!" She boomed and started running, the rest automatically falling into two lines, following her lead.

She expected half the men to try to catch up with her, and indeed they tried, but she always managed to be at least ten paces ahead of the group.

That is of course, until someone interrupted.

21... 22... 23... 24...

Jack Kelly counted his push-ups while thinking about the Major, again. Beautiful, smart, independent and scary. Just his type.

Though, he couldn't believe she left her captain with them. He partly wished she would supervise them herself because he really didn't need someone screaming at him to do his push-ups faster.

25... 26... 27... 28...

"Faster lieutenants." Captain Mercedes boomed. "I don't have all day."

29... 30!" Jack got up immediately, and so did Davey.

"Go! Catch up!" The captain ordered. "Sprint!"

Jack and Davey were happy to follow and sprinted after the group with Captain Mercedes at their heels.

"You know Kelly." Davey said as they ran. "Please never interrupt her again?"

Jack scoffed. "I ain't in the mood for your lectures Davey. I'm gonna pursue my career and you ain't stopping me."

They managed to catch up with the rest of the group and fell in step with them.

Jack, ignoring Davey's protests, ran a bit faster, past the other trainees, trainers and falling into place with Major Katherine right up in the front.

"Get back in line Kelly." She gritted her teeth. He noted that there was barely any sweat on her forehead and her hair was still in its neat ponytail and that she was jogging/running with ease.

"What? What's wrong with running with you?" He asked her, trying to not let his breath catch up with him. "I ain't allowed? Ya never said anything about keeping pace with you."

"Not now Jack." Katherine closed he sees as if trying to calm herself down, or maybe hide something. "Just because I spent the whole flight here with you does not mean you can talk to me now." She snapped. "I'm your superior. Follow my orders."

He just smirked which irked her some more. "Well. You're such a military girl. I like military girls." He moved a bit closer to her. "Beautiful, smart, independent..."

"Do you mind!" She exclaimed and pushed him away from her. Hard. "Get back in line Jack Kelly." She managed a triumphant smirk of her own. "If I won't go with you. If you know what I mean."

Jack blanched. "Yes ma'am. Sorry ma'am." Jack managed and fell back to the back and fell in pace with Davey.

"How did it go?" Davey asked sarcastically.

"I think I'm in love." Jack said with a smile.

Davey rolled his eyes. "Sure you are."

And they ran/jogged the rest of the way until back at the field.

Ace wasn't that annoyed with the lieutenant. Sure he was alright to be around with, but still. He should know better than to talk to her in the camp.

She knew how to keep her cool, but when he challenged her, he was in for a whole world of pain.

They finished the run and Katherine ordered them to form five lines with ten people each.

She ran them through some exercises, while letting the other trainers yell at them to do it faster or call them wimps. The trainees had to do push-ups, high knees, burpees, jump thrusts, one minute plank, sit-ups, crunches, cross punches, side crunches and et cetera. Katherine did it with them, because why not. Exercise is good for the health.

Small fact about the Major, since she had this very big motivation... Well, she aced all the physical assessments and still keeps herself in shape. She was able to execute all of this when some of the weaker trainees could not.

She was impressed by some, like the ones who seemed like underdogs, even if their form wasn't perfect, they pushed for it. Jack and Davey, not so bad either. The guy she nearly shot a while ago? Poor form, he uses his cockiness to cover that.

When they were done with the exercise, she gave them a two minute water break and then called them to assemble again.

"It's time for hand-to-hand combat." She said. "Find a partner within your line, to make this easier, get the person to your left, regardless of anything." She watched them partner up. "Good. Now. We'll do a bit of free sparring." This gained some grins from the men. "In the battlefield, you don't have the luxury of picking your partner nor the luxury of a referee or rules. Cheap tricks are to be expected. There is a lot you can learn from free sparring." She studied them. "I'll show you a demonstration. Who wants to volunteer?"

Before he even raised his hand, she already knew he was going to volunteer.

"Lieutenant Kelly. What a pleasure." She taunted.

He jogged up to the front with a wide grin. "Major."

She got into a ready stance. "I'm ready."

Jack didn't move, he stood still. He scratched the back of his neck. "Um... I'll just be a dummy right? I mean..."

"What do you mean Kelly?" She said and moved towards him.

"Um... Well. I mean..." He seemed to have a hard time finding the right words.

Katherine gently put a hand on his chest and gave him a smile. "What is it?"

Jack's cheeks colored. "Well, it's... Uh... Um..."

Katherine pushed him hard and kicked him square in the chest. Jack fell down to the ground with a thud. "First lesson." She said loudly. "Don't get distracted."

The trainees and the trainers muttered in awe. They didn't expect a woman the size of Katherine could kick a guy the size of Jack down to the ground.

Oh so help her God, she was gonna enjoy this. She thought as she tried to suppress a smile.

Jack grunted and rubbed his chest. He muttered something under his breath and sprang back up.

"Why you..." His eyebrows furrowed, but the small smile didn't go well with it, he rubbed his nose and charged.

Katherine dodged his attack easily, grabbed his hand, gave him a sweet look before judo flipping him over her shoulder and sitting on him. "Second lesson, never fight angry or with any negative emotion. Never fight proud."

Jack groaned again. "Get off me Major." He mumbled and Katherine obliged. She jumped back as Jack tried to grab her and instead lost his balance, giving Katherine the perfect chance to duck down and trip him. She kicked his ankle and his leg have way .

Jack fell on his ass for the third time in a row. "Oomph!"

"Lesson number two." She reminded him. Jack groaned in frustration and grabbed her foot. In reply, she twisted and proceeded to kick him in the face and step on his wrist. "Don't try anything on the ground." She said out loud. "You might end up like this."

Some people let out some snickers, she glanced over at General McArthur and even he was smiling.

Katherine fought with him for a while, taunting, dodging and generally having a good time, it has been a while since she was able to show what she was capable of. She noticed though that Jack was getting more and more frustrated and the things he muttered were not very flattering. Idiot, asshole and bitch were just some of his select name callings.

Jack got up for the ninth time and dusted himself off. "You know I'm holding back ma'am." His tone had an undertone with an attitude, as if he wasn't used to being beat. She figured that since he grew up in a tough environment, he expected himself to be tougher than this.

Katherine raised an eyebrow. "Oh really lieutenant?"

"You was tryin to humiliate me." He said, wiping the sweat of his brow.

"I'm trying to show the trainees what fighting looks like, if you don't fight me how can I show them? You're only humiliating yourself by not fighting back."

"Oh damn." She heard someone mutter.

"Burn!" Someone said.

Jack looked taken aback. "I don't hit girls." Jack replied. "When I was growin up I was taught to never hit a woman."

Katherine tried hard to not be infuriated. He was trying to get her mad. She wasn't going to let that work.

"Is that the case lieutenant?" She said threateningly.

"Yes it is." He stepped closer to her. "You know if you weren't a girl you'd be tryin to talk with a fist in your mouth."

"Well." She let some anger seep through. "If I was a boy then you'd be looking through one swollen eye!" She put a fist under his chin.

No one, I repeat no one, tells her that because she was a girl they couldn't fight her.

"Well don't let that stop you ha!" He moved forward and put his chin even more on her fist. "Ha?!" He challenged her.

It was Katherine's turn to be shocked at him. She pushed for a couple of moments, debating on what she should do. Given how close they were, she thought of doing something else, but given the situation, she accepted his challenge and removed her hand from his chin for a mere second before grabbing his collar and punching him in the nose. She also gave him a solid cross on his jaw, knocking him to the ground with a cry of pain.

"Never challenge someone unless you want to get-" she started the looked at Jack as if just registering the state he was in. "Are you okay?"

Jack pinched his nose as blood started coming out of it. "No I'm not... I think you broke it..." He let out a moan of pain.

Katherine winced. She didn't mean to hit him that hard. This is why she suggested to never fight angry, you might do something you might regret. "I am so sorry." She grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Her face morphed into just Katherine, concerned and kind. "I'll bring you to the med bay."

She looked to Captain Mercedes. "Watch them. Tell them to try some hand to hand while I assist him to the med bay." She looked to the general for approval and he nodded.

Katherine slung his arm over her shoulders and supported his weight, maybe that cross on his jaw made him more discombobulated that what she intended.

"I am so sorry." She flustered as he leaned on her, unafraid to put weight on her. "I didn't realize I had too much fun."

"It's okay." He said as he held his nose. "It ain't anything permanent..." Jack tripped a bit. "Ow."

She shifted and held his weight more firmly. For a small group, she was pretty strong.

They walked in silence for a while. "Look, I'm sorry for sayin those things... I was mad..." Jack said apologetically. "I didn't mean any of that... I guess this is the second time I messed up when talkin to ya... But to be completely honest, I was raised to not hit a girl, well... From what I heard."

"It's alright." Katherine replied with a small smile. "The next time you volunteer to be my sparring partner, don't you dare hold back."

Jack managed a laugh. "Damn. I wonder if that will ever happen again."

"With your luck, General McArthur will send you back here."

"Or worse." He smirked at her. "You get sent to help out in the Air Force... Combined attack."

Katherine paused. "That actually..." Her mind raced with possible tactics in the field. "That is actually not a bad idea..."

"Well, if ya ever pursue that strategy, just thank me."

She smiled. "Will do lieutenant." She pursed her lips. "And also, are you fine with still doing your training? I mean... The most I've done to you was bruise your face and break your nose... Um, not that I mean those don't hurt but do you want to continue the assessment..." She looked at him for an answer. "As a Major I'm required to see if you can or can't continue. From the looks of it I say you definitely can continue, as Katherine though, I ask if you are ready-"

"I'm ready." Jack said confidently while accidentally holding the bridge of his nose too hard. "I mean, it's not that big. You'll probably get worse in the field."

"Good answer." She said.

"And also I don't want to look like a wimp in front of General McArthur and make you look soft when you're training."

She laughed a bit. "That too."

They walked to the med bay where a nurse took Jack and started fixing him up. He lied down on the bed.

"Did you do this?" Asked a nurse as she put her fingers on Jack's nose.

"Yes." Katherine replied reluctantly. "Although he has to go back to train."

"I see..." The nurse said. "I don't see why not, he's still okay, couple of bruises, broken nose... Nothing that can't be handled." The nurse set Jack's nose, pushing the bones back in place.

Jack exclaimed in pain. "Jeez lady!" He said.

Katherine pursed her lips to prevent her from giggling. She saw his eyes water a bit, she imagined that it was very painful... But of course not more painful than having your shoulder dislocated and set back again. Katherine shuddered at the memory. It wasn't fun at all.

"You're welcome." The nurse said and proceeded to fix it up until Jack looked like he had white tape on his nose... Which was exactly what was put.

Jack sat up. "We done here?" He asked the nurse.

"Yeah. You're done." She said as she packed up. "Just put some sort of ice on your bruises and..." The nurse looked at Katherine. "Don't try to kill him next time."

Katherine laughed. "Of course I won't." She looked at Jack. "Come on Lieutenant Kelly. Let's get back to training."

Jack managed a small smile. "Sure will do ma'am." He got up and he and Katherine walked out of the med bay.

Around five minutes later, they were back in the field, but before Katherine could run off and lead the drills again, Jack grabbed her hand.

"Jack let go." She whisper-ordered. Her whole arm felt like there were sparks traveling up and down her arm. Sure she was holding him a while ago, but that was the way she held her comrades if they suddenly lost their leg in battle.

This was apparently different.

"Wait. Gimme a sec." He pursed his lips.

"Jack!" She protested and tried to pull her hand away.

"I was thinking about that date." He said quickly. "I was wondering when you were available, you said find you and ask... well..." He looked at her meaningfully.

Katherine blinked, as she was trying to process what he just said, but also because she had no clue on what to say.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack winced at his own question and dropped her hand. "Sorry... I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine." She said briskly. "I, uh... I believe..." Jack imagined that she was trying to form a proper way to say no. "Well... We'll see." She finished. "I have my own things to do and... It's the military. I can't exactly have an open schedule."

"Okay." Jack said, trying to hide the red in his cheeks. It wasn't like he was being rejected, it was just that he probably not going in that date anytime soon. "Just... Well, tell me."

Katherine nodded and she jogged off back to the front. When she got there, Jack noticed that she changed. She became the military women she made herself become.

So naturally, she went all drill sergeant without actually being one.

Jack went to his place and Davey hid a snicker. "She actually broke your nose." He said. "Can't believe she actually broke your nose."

"Shut up Davey." Jack replied under his breath and followed the crystal clear voice of Katherine Plumber. She made them so high knees, jumping jacks, burpees... Over and over and over again... And to top it all off, a sprint from here to the dining hall.

When Jack and Davey got to the table where they were supposed to sit, it took all of Jack's willpower to not collapse in his bread and some sort of meat.

They had to keep their backs straight as ever and talk less... Or not at all... Then again once sound builds up, the rule is botched and thrown out the window to never be seen again.

Jack found himself glancing at Katherine, who unfortunately did not throw any glances at him the whole time.

When they finished, they had a rest for an hour, or in other words it was time for Jack and Davey to show off their flying skills.

Jack considered saying goodbye to Katherine before anything else but he stopped himself. He knew she wouldn't appreciate it if he said goodbye to her in front of everyone.

He left silently with Davey and headed to the air base.

Jack and Davey got the air base and suited up in their new flight suits. It wasn't that different from the ones they had back at home, the only difference was the fact that Pearl Harbor was sewn into the front pocket of his flight suit.

General McArthur was there waiting for them on the runway with two beautiful jets beside him. Jack couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship, they were built for speed and packed enough firepower to reduce a building/s to rubble. Jack bit his lip to hide his excitement. If there's anything he loves to do it is to fly.

Flying for him was exhilarating and a whole new experience to feel, he felt in control and free when he was in the air... It was... Beautiful.

The boys ran to McArthur and saluted him.

"Men." He patted the plane on his right. "I suppose you don't have a problem with showing off.

"None at all sir." Jack said, his helmet tucked under his arm.

The general raised his brow. "I see. Well, get your pathetic asses in the plane and I'll see if you're good enough to fly with me." He turned his back on them and made his way to the control tower. "Don't disappoint me."

Jack released the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Well." He looked at Davey. "We got nothin to lose right?"

Davey exhaled and nodded his head. "Yeah. No pressure right."

"Just the imminent shameful return home." Jack assured himself.

"And the embarrassing sermon from Joe."

"And the humiliation, the rejection..." Jack laughed. "Ah well, we better get goin. See ya in the air ha? Let's do some of those routines."

Davey smirked. "Yeah. Let's do it."

About five minutes later, Jack and Davey were in the air, doing their own barrel rolls and shooting things they were allowed to shoot. They did some rounds around the Harbor.

Jack's nose throbbed every time the air pressure changed, he felt like it was being broken over and over and over and over again. He tried to ignore it but unfortunately, his nose wouldn't stop hurting.

He really was going to get back at Katherine for that.

"I could do that in my sleep." Jack heard McArthur over the radio. "You will bore me to death."

Jack switched to Davey's frequency. "Hey Davey."

"Yeah?" Davey asked.

"Chase me?" He asked innocently as a sweet memory of Pulitzer yelling at them surfaced.

"Ah Jack not again." Jack imagined Davey shaking his head. "We are not-"

"Let's go!" Jack didn't wait for an answer and pushed on the speed, he was definitely not taking no for an answer, and Davey followed in hot pursuit.

Jack smirked as he heard McArthur scoff over the radio.

Jack let out a laugh when the air speed was finally getting to him, waking him up as if he was given a breath of pure oxygen. Once they made their way to over the water, Jack plunged into a barrel-roll/nosedive as if he was really going to crash.

He imagined that if nothing went well, he'd be another pilot who made the worst mistake of his life.

He'd be a grease spot in the ocean.

But, if everything went well, he would've have proved himself already. Besides, he already did it before, nothing could go wrong.

Nothing wrong with that statement.

Jack waited for the very, very last second before he pulled up, it was riskier than the one he pulled back home.

Davey protested over the radio, telling Jack that it was too close to the water, that it was impossible to pull up from that height, Jack kept going, even when Davey pulled away already.

When it was the last possible second before Jack would be a grease spot in the ocean, he found himself pulling back on the controls and yelling in defiance.

The plane righted itself and Jack skimmed the water with the tip of his left wing. He whooped in happiness and started flying a bit more calmly now, low over the water.

"I've gotta say Jack." He heard Davey's relieved voice. "That was more ballsy than the last one."

Jack laughed. "Of course."

"Jack." McArthur called over the radio.

"Yes sir." Jack replied.

"You are one ballsy pilot, I'll give you that."

Jack smirked, of course he was.

"What else can you give me?" The general asked in anticipation.

"Hey Davey." Jack said over the com. "Why don't we show him the little air show we've been planning." He could imagine Davey's face turning pale. "Now? We didn't even practice that and hell, we just made that because we were doing nothing."

"Well. We was doin nothin then Davey, but now, let's show off what we can do ha?"

He heard Davey gulp over the radio. "Alright..." He took a breath. "Let's do this, but if you die Jack Kelly, I'm killing you myself."

The thought made Jack smile and they proceeded to do their "air show."

If you're wondering what their air show was, it was basically what Jack did, a lot of close calls, turns, nearly shooting each other and the proximity from each other being way too close for comfort.

They flew perpendicular to each other, nearly crashing and exploding in midair, they shot each other but they discovered that it wasn't a requirement to have bullet holes in the wings, which was a good thing because if they had anyway, they would have died.

By the time the general told them to get their selves back down on the ground, Jack and Davey's bloodstreams were pumping with adrenaline, both boys were sweaty, panting and sort of tired, but they were grinning like crazy.

General McArthur greeted them on the runway, the boys saluted him.

"Well boys." He said and wiped his brow. "Pulitzer told me you were ballsy, but not that ballsy." He stuck out his hand. "You made it boys."

Jack smiled and shook it firmly. "Thank you sir."

Davey shook his hand. "Thank you sir."

The general put his hands behind his back. "Welcome to my team. I might ask you to do vey dangerous things. You'll probably die." He raised an eyebrow. "My missions are nothing to be taken lightly."

"Yes sir." They both said.

"I expect to see you tomorrow, 0800 hours to start training with your team."

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed."

Jack and Davey saluted him and left the airstrip then went to the dressing rooms to dress up.

As they were walking there, for some weird reason, Jack couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

That night Jack was lying in his bunk staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. Maybe he was excited or just worried about something.

He figured that if he was going to be gone, he wouldn't have much time it himself or for anyone else. It wasn't that he wasn't used to it, he was in fact used to being on his own. Jack knew that it wasn't long before he got a new field assignment or something like that, a battle in mid-air, intercepting Japanese forces or Japanese allies... He would die probably, single as a thimble with only a wingman and his old team to remember his name.

But there was one more thing. One more someone...

He started planning, which for once, was his strong suit.

-LINE BREAK-

Katherine wasn't exactly displeased to hear that Jack left without another word, because that was what she would've preferred him to do, but she did feel a little upset, she would've liked another word with the Lieutenant.

She shook the silly thoughts out of her head. It wasn't the time, she had to finish the afternoon training with the recruits and find some work to do, get aquatinted with what's happening in Pearl Harbor and... What she usually does back home. With luck, she might get a field assignment from General Andrews.

She left the mess hall and waited for her troops to up back to the field and resumed her training.

At 4PM she finished training them, it was physically taxing, but she felt incredible afterwards. Much like Jack's flying, whenever she does her thing, it was like she inhaled a fresh burst of pure oxygen. Refreshing and calming, despite the fast hammering of her heart in her chest.

She left the training grounds and went back to her bunk to get her clothes. She washed up in the baths and came out feeling better than a while ago.

She decided to just walk around the base, hoping to get an assignment soon. She went to the office of General Andrews, with a lame excuse of checking in.

She saluted him and reported what happened today.

"McArthur?" He raised an eyebrow. "He put two of his men?"

"Yes sir. I thought you were aware of that." Katherine replied smoothly, although thinking it was really an impromptu training event.

"Humph." He went through the mess on his desk. "I'm sure there might have been a telegram here regarding that... Or none at all." He sighed. "At any rate, it's already happened and no point talking to that headstrong McArthur."

Katherine made no comment on that.

General Andrews looked at her. "Are you expecting something?"

She tried not to blush as she admitted that she wanted an assignment. "I did enjoy the training sir, but I wish to be out in the field, or in the rooms strategizing a battle."

"I figured, from what Joe said about you." The General stated. "He seemed like he was proud that you accepted the assignment."

At that moment, Katherine realized that she barely said anything to her father before she left. She merely said that it was an assignment, but she didn't say anything as his daughter, she said it as an officer under him. She felt a pang of guilt but pushed it down quickly, there wasn't any point in feeling guilty. When she was a kid he's always leave without a single word to her, she figured it was to alleviate the pain from her if she knew where he'd be going and save her some tears.

Well he was wrong, Katherine didn't feel accomplished every time he left her, she didn't feel pride, she felt anger and sorrow and swore she'd never feel like that again. Maybe that was why she was a little cold towards him. Probably... That's why.

Katherine thought of all of that in mere seconds and looked up to General Andrew's eyes. "I believe so too sir."

The general have her a sad smile as if he was having his own thoughts about this. "Anyway, I think I do have an assignment for you."

Katherine's eyes perked up. "What is it sir?"

"Well, it's in the Philippines." He started. "And I want you to lead a group of soldiers to infiltrate and retrieve information in a Japanese Camp there..."

"Without being detected...?" She asked, remembering how well some of her recon missions went and how terrible some of them went. She remembered how one man just fell right next to her, his eyes once bright now dull and staring at the sky with a stream of bright red blood trickling from his forehead. She knew that she should have not taken risks...

But that's how it is, there are risks all the time.

"A recon mission Katherine, but if you are to be discovered, I expect nothing to be left. It would really help us… bounce back from…"

"Yes sir." She heard the sound of her rifle going off in the back of her mind, blood splattering over her uniform and face. The sound of a grenade and silence... "When?"

"In two weeks, whilst you wait for that, I strongly suggest you continue training them, along with that, I've arranged for a meeting with your men and some women for you to strategize with, 1500 two days from now."

"Yes sir." She bit the inside of my cheek. "Who will command with me? Not that I need one of course, just in case I become incapacitated." She liked planning for all contingencies like that.

"Appoint your own." He waved the question away like a pesky fly.

She was taken aback, she rarely got that type of freedom, but she wasn't going to take it for granted. She had to choose wisely.

"Thank you sir." She said.

"Dismissed, report back after tomorrow's training if anyone was unsatisfactory. If I deem it so, then you may feel free to send them packing."

She smirked. "Will do sir." She saluted him and went out of the room, went back to the barracks and crashed in her bunk.

She fell asleep immediately.


	7. Chapter 7

(A/N: Hello!)

Katherine did her job the best way she could, she trained the troops on a daily basis, dismissed some of them who weren't good for the job. The ones she dismissed weren't always the quickest, they could be one of the athletic ones, but she could see whether or not the trainee was an asshole or a team worker. If the trainer was a slacker or a worker, if he or she is filled with determination or if he or she isn't really into the thing.

In the end, out of the fifty she trained on the first day, along with twenty new ones, she dismissed fifteen recruits, leaving her with fifty-five from the seventy, and that was just the end of the first week.

As for the strategizing, the first meeting did not go as she planned, as usual the men did not take et seriously at all. She knew though that they weren't mere recruits or newbies, these guys have seen actual fire and survived at least one battle... Well maybe there were some newbies, not that she cared. She knew how to do it.

She wore a simple white blouse tucked into a brown pencil skirt with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Of course, she had her standard knife in a sheath strapped to her thigh and a gun inside her army jacket. To go with that, she wore black one-inch heels, not that the inch helped much.

She thought she looked intimidating enough, but naturally... She was wrong.

She put a schematic of a Japanese camp on the table in the room they were using to strategize. As she was beginning, she was already contradicted.

"You sure about that Major?" One of the burlier guys asked, his arms big enough that Katherine couldn't wrap her two hands around the bicep. He crossed his arms as if asserting his dominance. "I don't think that would work." He said his words with an unappealing attitude. She sensed arrogance and pride in the way he stood. She dealt with this type already, but the one like this back home wasn't the one she kicked out first, he was one of those who earned her respect.

But naturally, petulance doesn't disperse immediately.

"Do you have a better idea?" She asked as she patiently out down her pointer.

(A/N: okay at this point I'm making things up, but seriously I mean, not all the missions have a record like a major one, at least (if you're one of those WW2 fanatics, don't kill me) maybe one wasn't recorded? Uh... Yeah... Sorry.)

He paused for a moment and pointed out some points. "Why don't we enter through the east side? Surprise them there, then we divide and find the information we need to win this war."

Katherine stood up straight. "The east side is the one that is the most guarded, always, from the camps I've been to."

He tried to stare her down. "At this point, with all due respect Major, I've been to camps as well." He pointed to himself. "I know what I'm telling you."

She sighed. This was exactly how her troops treated her when she first had a meeting with them. She earned their respect through a lot of rough housing and crotch kicking. She would've preferred to avoid all of that. "How long have you been in the military?" She asked plainly.

He looked uneasy at the sudden change of topic. "Five ma'am."

"You joined when you were what? Eighteen? That makes you twenty-three right now doesn't it?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Well, I wouldn't point out that one, you're two ranks lower than I am Lieutenant, and two you're also younger than me and three, I've been in the military for nearly ten years already. I wouldn't want to point that out because I really don't believe in all that being older makes you wiser crap, but right now I believe that I'm your commanding officer and I believe you should listen to me unless you want to be taken out of this unit. Whether you like it or not, you will listen to me." She snapped and practically got in his face. "Do I make myself clear?"

The man cleared his voice. "Yes ma'am." He squeaked and backed away.

She turned away from him and let a small smirk slip through her normally calm composure. She faced back to her troops and spread her hands on the table in front of her with the map. "As I was saying..." She heard one more snicker from the back and that was all that took for her to draw her knife and throw it at the map with such force that the handle vibrated and the blade sunk halfway through the wood. She acted as if nothing happened and smoothed her pencil skirt. "We enter through there, and if anyone has any objections, I suppose you can say it nicely, or point it out without any arrogance? Is that alright?"

"Yes ma'am." They said collectively.

The rest of meeting went by smoothly, no occasional snickers were heard

-LINE BREAK-

(A/N: DISCLAIMER: McArthur is not the McArthur like the: I shall return McArthur. McArthur is like a common name, also none of this is real. Historical fiction-Newsies fanfiction. Any names that are used here that bear any similarity to any historical figure is purely coincidental. Don't own the characters... Drew inspiration from somewhere... Mostly it's mine. Yeah.)

Meanwhile, Jack and Davey were having quite possibly the best time of their lives.

They were training with the world's finest pilots. Some were as reckless as Jack while others were so much more responsible, like Davey.

They would take flight at 0800 almost everyday (except Sunday), and they would do some air drills. Calling out numbers and shots as they glided over the Harbor and skimmed the water with the bottom of their planes.

Sure it was a serious job, knowing that they were in charge of the lives of so many individuals, but they lived for it. The thrill, the adventure, and most of all... service.

For Jack, he joined the Army partly because he wanted to serve the people who can't protect themselves- like he couldn't protect himself while he was a newbie at the orphanage. He was bullied for a while until he learned the ropes and used his natural charisma and toughness to defend himself.

A week into training, Jack learned things he didn't even know were possible in air, like strategies and maneuvers and what not. McArthur and his men, (superior to the trainees) thought them an insurmountable amount of information they was useful for the field. At this point, Jack could believe he could confidently do his job.

Then there was Davey. Jack didn't like the way his wingman wouldn't get enough sleep. He would watch as the dark circles around his eyes get even darker and his eye bags getting larger. I mean, Jack wasn't in the best shape in terms of sleeping either- but Davey should be. Jack knew why his wingman couldn't sleep though, he was thinking of his family back at home, especially Les. Jack wanted to tell him that everything was going to be alright and he'll come back home in one piece and be with his family.

But he couldn't.

This was war, and nothing is he could do about it.

Jack couldn't relate though to Davey, he didn't have a family to go back to. He usually reassured himself that having no family means it is less of a hassle to be alive... But when he saw Davey's family, his heart ached. He wanted something like that in the future, maybe after the war.

Jack was also planning that first date. He knew already how to invite her and where to take her (from asking some of his teammates), he just needed a date. Like the person, Katherine. He knew he was due for a mission soon, and she was probably due for it as well. It was better he'd ask sooner than later.

Saturday, after the rigorous training up to 7 in the evening, he gathered up the courage to ask her out. While everyone was preparing for bed, or for some late night assignment, he pulled some strings just to have this time slot to ask her out.

He checked out her schedule (stalked her a bit) and he knows that she goes back to her barracks at around 8 in the evening. Sometimes she doesn't come back, but hopefully this was one of the days that she comes back in time.

He first went to his wingman.

"It ain't that I need ya when I'm gonna ask Katherine out but I'm asking ya, do I look alright?" Jack asked Davey as he looked in the mirror in the place they were staying in. He was wearing the formal Air Force uniform, complete with the cap and everything. He smoothed out all the wrinkles in his outfit and straightened the pins on the jacket.

"For the last damn time Jack you look fine." Davey said and sighed. "This is the fifth time you asked me already."

"Yeah but we was just in training and ya see I don't know if I look presentable-"

"You took a shower twice, brushed your hair three times over, shined your shoes two times and did everything else twice, I'm sure you look presentable." Davey sighed once more. "If you're not going to go to her, I am going push you out the door."

One of the flyboys hollered, "If you ain't gonna ask your hot date, I'm sure gonna ask her!"

"Alright alright!" Jack did a final check on his outfit and smirked at himself in the mirror. "She can't say no to this face right?"

"She can." Davey touched the tape still on Jack's nose. "Like how she punched you." He pressed a little harder.

Jack punched Davey in the arm as a response.

"Ow." Davey complained and he rubbed his arm.

"Look, if anyone asks I'm running an errand for McArthur." Jack said to Davey, but made his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"And what if McArthur asks?" Davey crossed his arms.

"Running an errand for Major Plumber."

"For real?"

Jack shrugged. "Met her back at home, said she had a task for me, so I'm doing it."

Davey rolled his eyes. "Alright then." He put his hands on Jack's shoulders and pushed him towards the door. "Now go."

Jack shrugged off Davey's hands and opened the door. "Wish me luck." He muttered.

He left the barracks. Outside, he picked up the flowers he left out, hidden with some grass, just so no one asks where the Newsboy is going.

He walked briskly towards the place where the trainers are staying.

Of course he got a bit lost and everything, since he never went to the Army part of the base.

He got so lost to the point he asked directions from some privates, anyone in a lower rank, he avoided the higher rank ones- they might spoil his day.

He finally found his way to the trainers's place and peered into the window.

They were all there... Except for Major Plumber.

He silently cursed himself. Maybe she was just out of his line of vision.

He took a deep breath and walked up the two steps, to the door and knocked. He hid the flowers behind his back.

A few seconds later the door was opened by a man, a little older than him. "What do you need Lieutenant?"

Jack suddenly didn't feel so great. His hands got sweaty and he almost dropped the flowers. "I'm-" he coughed. "Looking for Major Plumber." He replaced his nervousness with his usual confidence. He saluted. "Sir."

The man in front of him studied him from head to toe, no doubt thinking something not to his liking. He seemed to notice the flowers behind his back.

"She isn't here." He said with his hands clasped behind his back. "After training the recruits, she left to make some strategies with her team. She won't be back until later."

Jack's heart fell. He just had to go and jinx it. "Well ah... I'll just... Come back later."

"You could wait for course flyboy." He said, his face devoid of emotion. "But it's going to be a very long wait."

Jack pondered on it for a second. He might as well, if he went back now, everyone will make fun of him when he gets back and he won't ask her out again.

He put on a sincere smile. "Thank you sir. I'll just wait."

The man shrugged. "Suit yourself." He studied Jack again. "You're that lieutenant who's nose broke because of her."

Jack resisted the urge to groan. After a week you think they would get over it. "There's still tape on my nose to prove it sir." He said.

"I can see that." He eyed the lieutenant. "Just. Don't try to kill yourself ha? I heard last time a guy asked her out-"

"I'm not asking her out." Jack interrupted.

The man raised an eyebrow.

"Sir."

"Anyway." He continued. "Last I heard, the guy broke more than a nose. He was knocked out and he woke up with a black eye."

Jack gulped.

"But that's just me. Heard it over lunch. Good luck."

"Uh..."

The man turned around and closed the door.

"Well this is terrible." He muttered to himself and sat on the steps. He put the flowers next to him and grumbled. Now what was he going to do for the time being?

He spent around twenty minutes staring out into the camp, watching some late night joggers and trainees and some people running actual errands.

He sighed. Realizing that this was going to take a while.

He felt his pockets for anything to keep him entertained. He checked his inside pocket as well. He found his black leather notebook and a pencil.

He sighed again, realizing there was nothing else to do. He opened the notebook and started drawing.

Jack never actually had any official training in the arts, he just knew how to do it. He started when he was younger, in the orphanage. It was one of the reasons why he was bullied.

He hid his talent for several years, he would sketch at night, the only light coming from the open window. He would sketch when no one was looking.

He would actually use anything as his canvas, tissue, paper, even his skin as a place to make his artworks. He could use ball pens, pencils, paint, anything he could get his hands on.

He only got his first notebook when he was in the army- when Davey caught him sketching in a tissue from the latrine.

Davey told him that he was an artist. He tried to hide his drawings and everything, but Davey kept finding them and telling Jack that he shouldn't hide it. He could've gotten a different job if he just submitted his drawings somewhere.

Jack didn't want to, he didn't like getting paid for something he just can do- he didn't brag about it.

Davey decided that he wasn't going to let that slide.

On a Sunday, while Jack was just relaxing in his bunk, a package landed on his stomach.

Davey threw it up there. Jack got annoyed of course, until he unwrapped it. It was a red notebook, with nice paper and everything. Davey also got him pens and pencils.

He said that Davey shouldn't have, Davey insisted though. He was his friend after all. He also didn't like seeing him getting the tissue from the bathroom just to draw.

"It's disgusting." Davey said and wrinkled his nose. "Just art on that notebook okay? I'll get you a new one once you finish that."

"Davey you don't have to." Jack said from his bunk. "Ya really don't."

"Consider it a favor." Davey said. He turned away. "Oh." He

stopped. "And Happy Birthday Kelly."

Jack finished that notebook in a month or two, then Davey got another one for him, much to his protests.

The black one is his fifth one. It was small enough to fit in his pockets, but not too small that he can't draw anything in it.

He was drawing some structures and et cetera for a while until he started sketching something else.

He didn't actually know what he was drawing, but it wasn't an army base or a plant. That's what he was sure off.

It started off as a few lines until it became something concrete. Jack smiled to himself as he continued his sketch. He couldn't help it.

It was simply one of the best he's done. He would sketch the subject in different ways, different poses and others.

He kept sketching even as his eyes grew heavy. He tried to fight off the drowsiness, saying that he stayed awake longer than this. He nodded once, then twice... He hit himself several times and tried to pinch himself... But it was of no use.

He nodded one more time and then he drifted off.

-LINE BREAK-

"You understand that?" Katherine asked the soldiers in front of her as she crossed we arms, staring them down. "This is happening this time next week. The strategies are done today so that starting Monday, we do some practice runs. "Tomorrow," she lightened her gaze a bit. "It's day off. Relax for a bit. I'll see you again on Monday. Same time. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." They said in unison.

"Dismissed."

The soldiers left the place where they were strategizing in, leaving Katherine to fix up the maps she laid out.

She was happy with what they had been able to accomplish for the past week. They've gotten farther that what she initially predicted. She's received ideas from the people she's been with and they're great ideas, well most of them anyway.

She's only been in Pearl Harbor for a week, but it's starting to feel like home.

She finished up and kept the last of the papers on the table. She knew how messy these things could get.

She checked her watch and sighed. It was well past 1AM already, maybe almost 2. She rubbed her tired face and started to walk back to her barracks.

She walked out and saw how full of life the place still was, some were still strategizing, some were preparing for mission while some were just hanging around or staying up.

Around five minutes later she arrived at the barracks and she was greeted by a sight she wasn't expecting to see. She approached slowly and quietly, her footsteps barely making a sound.

Lieutenant Jack Kelly was slumped against the rail bar, asleep. His hat was askew and his mouth was open with some drool trickling out the side.

Katherine resisted the urge to laugh, despite how silly it looked. She did notice though that he looked kind of peaceful.

She noticed the flowers beside him and cocked her head to the side. "Hm." She muttered to herself. "Must've gathered his courage this time." She also noticed the pencil and notebook on the floor, long forgotten.

She picked them up. She went through the notebook and was impressed. The drawings were so realistic, the bases, the planes, the people... They were so amazing. She went to the last page with a drawing, the notebook was nearly finished and she gasped in surprise.

It was a drawing of... Of her. Drawings actually. She was so amazed. They were accurate. There were some of her in different poses, the day she met him, the day she punched him...

The biggest one was on one entire page. She looked at it for a while, he did it without a reference... It was her when she was training the soldiers her face was serious but she still had a small smile on her face.

She smiled to herself. The lieutenant was so full of talents. He even drew a picture of her. She blushed to herself. She was kind of flattered, no one ever put that much effort into something that was linked to her.

There were words at the bottom of the drawing and she read them softly:

Love at first sight is for suckers... At least it used to be.

She stared at him for a while, she was flattered, and it took a lot to flatter her.

She then realized how long he must have been there to sketch some drawings and to fall asleep.

It was already 2AM, how long had he been there?

She felt a pang of guilt. He'd been waiting for her. She wondered how mean or how would he react if she woke him up. She glanced at the windows. Her trainers inside were probably asleep.

She went up to him and decided to wake him up. She smirked at the drool trickling out of his mouth. She tapped him lightly. "Jack."

"Davey no. Five more minutes." Jack grumbled and snuggled up to the rail.

Katherine resisted the urge to laugh. "Jack." She said louder and shook him. "Wake up."

Jack didn't stir.

"Lieutenant Jack Kelly. Get up this instant!" She said in her best drill sergeant voice.

Jack bolted up and Katherine barely had enough time to get out of the way.

"Sorry Sir!" He stood up straight and saluted, but he accidentally hit his nose with his hand. "Goddammit!" He exclaimed as he held his nose. "Ow."

Katherine's eyes widened in surprise.

Jack blinked out the pain and looked up. "God."

After a while of blinking back tears he looked around, remembering where he was and his gaze landed on Katherine. He lowered his hand from his nose. "I mean Ma'am." He yawned, wiped off the drool with his sleeve and stretched. He checked his watch. "Boy, you sure stay up late. 2AM. Wow."

Katherine covered her mouth as she yawned as well. "Duty calls Lieutenant. I bet you sleep late too."

He smirked. "'Course I do."

She paused. "Your nose healing up alright?"

Jack shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle. Hurts sometimes but, it's bearable as long as I don't hit it."

"Good." She closed the notebook she was holding and gave it to him along with the pencil. "Found this on the floor." She handed it to him. "You've got real talent Kelly."

"Oh." Jack blushed and took the notebook. "Thank you."

"You're an artist! You could be working for the paper, or maybe the comics if you submitted your work."

"Ah, but no thanks. I don't like the feeling of being cooped up in some place you know? And besides, it ain't a profession ma'am, it's a hobby." Jack flipped through the notebook.

"But you're really good."

He smiled at her for a bit. "Thanks." He stopped flipping at the drawing of her and his cheeks colored just a bit. "You saw this?"

"Yeah." She looked down at her feet. "Not bad. Incredible actually."

He stared at it for a while. "I was planning to give it to you..." He muttered softly then looked down at his flowers. His eyes widened. "Right."

He tore out the drawing and picked up the flowers.

"I was meaning to ask you at around 7..."

"You've been here since 7 o'clock?"

Jack chuckled lightly. "Yeah. It's been about," he rubbed his face with his free hand, "Seven hours?"

Katherine was taken aback. "You should've asked where I was. You should've not waited for me."

Jack shrugged. "Nah it's fine. I was knocked out for three of those hours anyway. I've slept in worse places also. Bet you have too."

Katherine softened. "But still. You shouldn't have."

He fixed his hair and his hat. He straightened out his uniform. "Well." He handed her the flowers and the drawing. "Thought you'd be impressed by my perseverance."

Katherine took them from him. "Thank you." She said. "And yes, I am impressed."

"Anyway, since we're both kind of busy and I heard you're gonna have a mission soon, I thought I might just ask you out now." He scratched the back of his neck. "So ah, it's a day off tomorrow and I think ya need some time off as well." He put his hands in his pockets.

"What are you asking?" She asked even if she knew what he was going to ask.

"Do you want to go out with me tomorrow?"

"Out?"

"Well I'm not the dinner only type of guy, or like a lunch only type of guy. I was thinking more of the whole day you would be with me. So it won't be boring. It would be just like going around."

"So you're asking me on a date."

"And an opportunity to go around this beautiful place." He smirked. "Whaddya say? And I ain't takin no for an answer."

Katherine pursed her lips. She thought about the stuff she'd be missing if she went out tomorrow. Then she realized, even General Andrews wants her to relax, her trainers want her to relax, she'd been working day and night, reporting... Maybe it was time to relax a bit.

And besides, she did say yes when he yelled it to her at the airport.

"Sure." She calmly. "Tomorrow."

Jack smiled. "Meet you at the gates? 10AM?"

"It's a date." She said and walked up to him.

"Wow." Jack looked down at her. "Didn't expect that quick or a reply."

"Would you rather I say no?"

"No!" He said loudly. He cleared his throat. "I mean, no ma'am."

She gave him a small smile. "Well. If that's the case, I suppose you should let me open the door?"

Jack stepped aside. "Right. Sorry."

Katherine went up the steps, opened the door and took one step inside. "Good night Jack."

"Good night Ace." He winked at her as she closed the door, hiding the slight coloring in her cheeks.

She locked it and turned around. She let out a small sigh and looked down at the flowers and the drawing in her hands.

She tried telling herself that she didn't find his demeanor endearing but... She let out a small sigh again as she thought about him. They've barely known each other for a week but... She had to admit, she kind of liked him. It wasn't that she couldn't hide her feelings, but now she could.

"Flyboy asked you out huh?" She heard a voice ask and she turned to face it. It was dark, but she knew from the bit of light streaming in through the windows that it was Captain Hank. He was lying down on his bed (located near the door) and staring at the ceiling. "I answered the door for him when he got there." He yawned. "Can't believe he waited that long."

Katherine put back her strong facade. "Why are you still awake?"

"I was sleeping. Until you opened the door." He yawned again. "Tend to wake up when that happens."

She cocked her head at him. "Okay then."

He turned his head to her. "Did he ask you though?"

"What is it to you?" Her eyes narrowed. She didn't like him that much anyway. He gave off the wrong vibe to her. Besides, she was holding flowers and a paper, obviously he did ask her out.

"Nothing." He said smoothly. "You don't seem like the type of girl to be asked out."

She didn't know what to think of that.

"But anyway, you said yes didn't you?"

She didn't reply.

He chuckled lowly. "Knew it. He seemed like your type."

She didn't like the way this conversation was going. She hated people talking to her like this.

"Goodnight Captain." She said and walked past his bed and towards her bed. "Go to sleep."

"Hey Major." He said from his bed. "When you go out with him tomorrow-"

"Goodnight Captain." She said firmly and went to bed, putting the flowers at the foot of her bed and the drawing under her pillow. "I'd rather take a rest now rather than talk to you."

"Yes Ma'am." He said. "Goodnight."

She took off her shoes lay down in bed, not even bothering to change or anything. She was kind of tired already.

Besides, she had something to do tomorrow. She closed her eyes and instantly feel asleep with a small smile on her face.

-LINE BREAK-

When Jack was sure that he was far enough from the place Katherine stays he jumped high in the air and shouted.

"SHE SAID YES! HA!" He pumped his fist in the air and shouted some more, not even caring who heard him.

He leaned on a pole and groaned as he swung around it. "Wow. She said yes." He had a huge smile on his face. He laughed. "Yes!"

He practically skipped back to the barracks. He opened the door. and immediately went to Davey. He claimed the bunk and shook Davey awake. "Dave! Dave!"

Davey woke up with a start. "Wha?" He rubbed his face. "Do you know what time it is?"

"It's almost 3AM." Jack said with a smile.

"Wait. You just got back now?"

"Yeah. But anyway. She said yes Davey!"

Davey took a minute to process what he was saying. "That's great." He said and yawned. "That's great..." He dropped back down on his pillow. "Good for you Kelly."

"Hey so I'm going out tomorrow! Sunday!"

"Mhm." Davey turned away from him and closed his eyes. "Go to sleep Jack. You need it."

"I'm too ready for tomorrow to sleep."

"You mean today Jack." Davey yawned. "Go to sleep."

"Fine." Jack huffed and changed into the comfortable pants and kept on the white shirt under his uniform. He hit the hay and smiled to himself. He imagined that the next day was going to be great.

He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

-LINE BREAK-


	8. Chapter 8

8:30AM

Katherine got up at that time, even if she did sleep at 2AM. Admittedly, she was excited. It's been years since she's gone on a date and years since she was excited for something extracurricular.

The rest of the people in the residence were either still sleeping, doing noting or up and at it.

She opened her chest where she put all her clothes in, and she realized she didn't really pack a lot of her clothes... She thought she could just buy.

Apparently, things change.

She dug through all her stuff until she found her black heels.

She took out her black slacks and her white blouse and sighed. It's like she doesn't have anything. She wears these all the time.

She only packed her military clothes, shoes and some comfortable casual, also a dress for formal nights (they happen), and she just dumped assorted clothes into her bag when she packed for Hawaii.

She continued digging until she found a suitable outfit. She smiled to herself.

It was a short-sleeved button down blouse with dark pink polka-dots and a dark pink skirt that reached until her shin, the skirt was quite flowey and the blouse was quite comfortable. She found a nice black belt to go with it.

She also found a purse, white with a long strap and a gold buckle, she could sling it over her shoulder. She put in her wallet and other necessities.

She also took her gun holster, never know when she has to use it. She would strap it around her thigh and conceal it under her skirt.

She's cautious that way.

She brought her clothes with her to the showers inside the residence and took a nice long one. She ran her hands through her hair and all over her body enjoying the feeling of the running hot water.

She changed into her outfit, she was thankful that there were showers in the place because she didn't want to walk around the base wearing her outfit.

When she came out of the showers as she was drying her hair with a towel, she was greeted by Captain Mercedes.

She whistled. "Where are you going? Why are you dressed up?"

"Somewhere." Katherine replied and slung the towel over her shoulder. "Going around."

"You're finally relaxing for once." She said with a smile. "Are you going with that flyboy you punched?"

"Why does everyone think that?" She said exasperatedly.

"I don't know Katherine." She said sarcastically. "I saw him outside yesterday when I went to the latrine to relieve myself. He was waiting for you."

"I know." The Major replied. " saw."

"So you're going with him." Mercedes raised both her eyebrows.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "I am."

Mercedes shrugged. "Kay. I'm not going to stop you." She stepped out of her way. "Now don't be late!"

"I'm going to meet him at 10. It's only 9:15." She gestured to the clock on the wall. "I don't have to go right now."

"Fine." She rolled her eyes. Then she smiled. "So how did he ask?"

"Flowers. Drawing. The end." Katherine replied monotonously. "That's practically it."

"You really don't get asked out often do you?"

Katherine shrugged. "I've been told I scare men, maybe it's because of my tendency to punch them if they said something wrong."

Mercedes sighed. It was silent for a whole minute until Mercedes spoke again. "With your permission Major, may I do your hair?" She whispered.

Katherine weighed out the pros and cons. If she got caught by anyone outside of the residence, no one was going to take her seriously ever again, on the other hand she kind of wanted her to. She didn't know how to and she knew without looking in the mirror her hair was a mess. "In the bathroom." She whispered back. "Not out here."

"Whatever you say Major." The captain produced a dark pink ribbon from her pocket. "I coincidentally had this ribbon. Given to me by my niece." She looked at Katherine. "Please don't lose it."

"I won't."

The duo went into the bathroom and Mercedes proceeded to fix Ace's hair. She dried it up the best she could and fixed it up.

-LINE BREAK-

9:30AM, Jack's place

"Jack. Jack." Davey shook his friend.

Jack didn't get up. He was pretty sleepy from yesterday.

Davey sighed. "JACK!" He punched his stomach.

Jack shot up and head butted Davey.

"OW!" Both boys exclaimed at the same time.

"Goddamn." Davey rubbed his head.

Jack rubbed his temple and held his nose, it was still broken and he had five more weeks to go before it was gonna heal up. "You have to stop waking me up that way. The damn head butt hurts more than you're wimpy punch."

"It's the only way." Davey shrugged.

"You never get up on time. Like ever."

"Not true-" Jack's eyes widened and he swore. "Davey. What time is it?"

Davey looked at his watch. "9:30."

Jack cursed and stood up. "Why didn't ya wake me up?"

"I woke up ten minutes ago!"

Jack groaned as he pulled out an outfit, blue polo shirt and a dark grey t-shirt. He pulled out khaki pants. He also took out his newsboy cap.

"You are not wearing that." Davey gave him a look.

"Yes I am."

"No."

"Yes."

Davey rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Newsboy. If you look stupid don't come crawling back here."

"Don't care Davey." He closed the chest. "Don't care."

He ran out of the residence and to the showers. He showered quickly, but not too quickly. He put on his shirt then put on the polo shirt unopened on top of it. He put on his pants and ran out of the showers barefoot. He forgot to put on his shoes before running out.

His hair was still dripping wet and his hat was crumpled in his hand. He sprinted across the pavement, partly because he was in a hurry and mostly because it was burning hot.

He ran into the residence and slammed the door behind him. "Goddamn that pavement is burning!" He exclaimed as he went to his bunk and slipped on his socks and put on his shoes, black with a tie.

He brushed his hair and then put the cap on his head.

He checked his watch, 9:55. He made good time.

"Not a moment too late." Davey clapped him on the back. "You got a good plan for this, I hope."

"I do." Jack checked himself out in the mirror, still wishing that Katherine didn't break his nose. "I think I do. I believe I have a plan."

"You look terrible." Davey assessed. "If I were a girl, you would be the last person I am going to go out with."

"Thank you Davey." Jack said and elbowed him in the stomach. "Thank you for that comment."

Jack double checked everything, he had his wallet in his pocket (he triple checked this one if there was enough cash) he had his notebook in the other, a handkerchief, a pen and all the other things he thought he needed. He adjusted the cap on his head and took a deep breath.

After seeing that it was 9:58, he turned to Davey. "Gotta go now."

"Hey wait." Davey threw him some cash, around 50 dollars.

"I can't Davey-" Jack started to protest. "This is way too much. You've done enough."

"If ya stay and argue with me you are gonna be late and I don't think the Major appreciates tardiness."

"Right." He paused. "Thanks Davey. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck ya loser." Davey called after Jack as he sprinted out the door.

-LINE BREAK-

10:00AM, the gates of the base

Jack ran to the gate and saw Katherine waiting for him there. At first he couldn't recognize her because she was wearing something he couldn't picture her wearing, a blouse with pink polka dots and a dark pink skirt. She even had a ribbon tied into her hair.

He jogged up to her.

"Sorry. I'm..." He took a deep breath. "Late."

"No you're not Kelly." Katherine said and looked at him. "It's 10:00."

"Thank the Lord." He bent over and put his hands on his knees. "Gimme a minute."

"We have the whole day." She teased.

He looked up at her and found another inspiration for a sketch. She was so beautiful. She was beautiful without trying and graceful and regal. The way he was looking at her right now really gave him inspiration for another sketch of her.

Jack found his breath after a few moments and stood up straight. He studied her and smiled. "Ya sure clean up nicely."

She studied him. "You look good too." She straightened the hat on his head. "That's better."

Jack's heart fluttered, she looked really pretty. Her hair was nicely done and her outfit was amazing, it hugged her waist- but not too tight. He could see her athletic physique and strong posture. She didn't look dainty or weak like some other girls, she looked strong and she could beat you up without batting an eye.

He took a deep breath and stuck out his arm. "Let's go?"

She stared at it for a few seconds before taking it. "Let's go then." She replied.

His heart skipped a beat as they strolled out of The Harbor and into the civilian world.

He couldn't believe he survived so far without any injury.

-LINE BREAK-

They walked for a while until Jack pointed to a breakfast/brunch joint. It was simple, not too extravagant or anything. Katherine opened the door herself, Jack trailing behind. She was kind of hungry and with the work she's been doing, she can definitely work up an intense appetite.

The waitress sat them down in a booth and handed them menus.

Jack and Katherine sat across each other.

"I'll be back in a bit." The waitress said and winked at Jack flirtatiously. He didn't notice because he was hungrily staring at the menu, but Katherine sure as hell did. She pushed down those negative feelings and stared at the menu. But she couldn't really concentrate on what she was looking at.

She wasn't jealous, she was just simply annoyed at the waitress.

Incredibly annoyed.

At least that's what she told herself.

She must have knitted her eyebrows too much because Jack tapped her hand hesitantly. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She replied and put in a cool front. Her face immediately relaxed. "I'm just having a hard time deciding."

"Yeah." Jack took off his cap and put it on the table. "Didn't know they had different versions of a big breakfast."

Katherine smiled a bit. "You hungry?" She asked, she was starving herself... She didn't eat dinner last night due to schedule.

"Yeah." Jack said and scanned the menu some more.

Katherine decided she would get the two piece flapjack with a sunny side up egg and two strips of bacon.

The waitress came back and stood unnecessarily close to Jack, nearly touching his shoulder.

"Ready to order?" She asked Jack and not even acknowledging Katherine. She placed a hand on his back.

"Uh..." Jack still looked down at his menu. "Her first." He chin pointed.

The waitress turned to face Katherine and was taken aback by the calm yet intense look she was giving her. "Your order... ma'am?" She removed her hand from his back which made Katherine elated.

"Two piece flapjack with the sunny side up egg and bacon." Katherine replied. "What about you Jack?"

"Um... Hawaii special." Jack said quickly and closed the menu. "Kind of hungry."

"Of course." The waitress said with a smile and gave a nervous glance to Katherine as she took their menus. "Expect your orders to be with you in ten to fifteen minutes."

"Perfect." Jack said with a smirk. "Don't forget the water too." He winked at her.

Katherine balled up her fists in her skirt. She wasn't jealous. He was just playing around. No reason to be angry.

She kept telling herself that.

"Of course sir." The girl looked like she wanted to faint, but one glare from Katherine woke her up.

She scurried away and Katherine resisted smirking.

-LINE BREAK-

Eleven minutes later their food arrived at their table along with the water. Jack thanked the waitress and they began to eat.

Jack's food was two slices of bread with four strips of bacon and two eggs accompanied by two hotdogs. Hawaiian no doubt.

It was silent for a whole five minutes before Jack took a breath and spoke again. "Ya know. I was worried that this was going to be awkward." He laughed a bit. "Guess I was wrong." He wiped his mouth. "You sure can eat Major."

Katherine looked at him as she put a forkful of pancakes into her mouth. She covered her mouth as she chewed quickly and swallowed. "Sorry." She said, a light pink dusting her cheeks . "I didn't eat dinner last night."

"I didn't mean anything bad!" Jack raised his hands in defense. "I just thought you would judge me for eating like a pig."

"Jack I'm surrounded by trainees day and night, all hungry and tired and no offense, mostly men. How can I be offended by the way you eat?"

Jack smiled. "Well that's good. No judging grounds here."

"Of course not." She smiled back, she's been doing an awful lot of that whenever he's around.

They ate for thirty minutes, engaging in small talk and whatnot. When they were done the waitress brought them the bill.

"Thanks." Jack said and took it. He opened the case and whistled. "Not too expensive. Right down to what they told me."

"Let me guess, your men told you how much it was in here." Katherine said with grudging respect.

"Plan before battle." Jack says and brings out cash and puts it on top of the bill. "Gotta be ready."

"Good." Katherine says. "If you need any money though, I have in my purse."

"Nah I don't need it." He smiled to himself. He silently thanked Davey for the extra fifty bucks. He had a total of 150 left.

"Just tell me if you need more." She said as the waitress took the bill from Jack and went to the cashier.

Jack leaned forward. "So," he looked so eager. "tell me a little bout yourself Major."

"I told you a lot on the plane Jack Kelly." She leaned forward too. "What else is there to ask?"

"I don't know. Something interesting ya haven't told me."

Katherine thought about it for a while. "I like writing." She said. "Stories, articles, whatever. I actually enjoy writing reports."

"And I like to draw. We could make a book."

She laughed at the prospect of it. "It's not the worst idea."

"Written by Katherine Plumber and drawings by Jack Kelly." Jack said aloud. "Not bad."

"I suppose not." She replied.

The bill arrived with their change and Jack left a tip of five dollars.

He took his cap and placed it on his head. "Let's go? We still have a whole day to burn."

"Sure." Katherine replied as they both stood up and walked out of the restaurant.

-LINE BREAK-

They roamed around like tourists, stopping when they felt like it and talking when they felt like it.

The one thing that remained was the fact that Katherine rarely removed her arm from Jack's. If she were to remove it, it was to point at something. She was enjoying his company and treated it like it was nothing more than a walk around with friends. She was smiling a lot and that was kind of new. She rarely smiled when she was in the base.

They didn't buy anything, apparently she and Jack shared the same hobby of window shopping. Jack would insist on buying it but Katherine would just rub it off. He would do the same when she catches him ogling something, may it be a newspaper or a new t-shirt.

They walked along the beach, holding their shoes and wetting their feet.

She nearly got hit by a ball but she hit it right back at the person.

They rested and walked, ran, and what not for hours and hours.

But time seemed irrelevant because the both of them were having so much fun.

They were smiling a lot and laughing a lot.

Jack would bring her around and talk about things that weren't important but she would listen intently as if it were a top secret plan.

She would also talk about irrelevant things, but Jack wouldn't take his eyes off of her.

They were walking along the pier, watching the setting sun shine off the ocean when a strong gust of wind blew past.

"Whoa." Jack held on to his hat. "That's a sea breeze."

"Tell me-" She was cut short as she noticed her ribbon fly away. She cursed.

"Damn Ace! You gonna kiss me with that mouth?" Jack replied flirtatiously.

"Not now Kelly!" She broke into a run and chased the ribbon flying in the wind.

"Where the hell are you going?" Jack raised his voice and marveled at the fact that she was still faster than him even if she was wearing heels.

"The ribbon!" She exclaimed and made a jump for it but she missed by a few inches. It was a miracle she didn't break her ankles. Katherine swore profusely again.

"Language Ace!" Jack jumped over a cat. Almost tripped over a box.

He swore.

"Hypocrite!" She called back.

She followed the ribbon all the way down the streets, twists and turns and down alleyways.

She'd been chasing it for nearly twenty minutes when it got caught on the weather vane at the top of a building.

Katherine halted in an alleyway lit by a flickering light and took a deep breath. She turned when she heard Jack coming after her.

"Major." He panted. "You sure," he took a breath, "can run. You seem to manage to," he took another breath, "impress me a lot... today."

Katherine breathed evenly. "Yeah." She looked up at the building.

"Why is this so important to you anyway?" He said and stood next to her.

"It's not so important to me, it's important to someone else. One of the trainer's niece gave it to her." She placed her hands on her hips thinking how disappointed Mercedes would be if she didn't come home with that ribbon.

"So." He wiped the sweat from his brow. "It ain't yours. Ya borrowed it."

"You could say that." She said while studying the height of the building.

"Ah."

"How are we going to get it?"

"Well." Jack took of his cap to reveal somewhat adorable hat hair. "Let's see." He looked around and eyed a rickety ladder at the side of the of the building. "You a fan of heights?"

Katherine saw what he was looking at and gulped invisibly. "Not really. But I can manage."

He smirked. "Good." He went over to the ladder and started climbing. "Hate for you to eat my dust." He rolled up his cap and bit it.

"Come on." He said through his teeth. "You can do it."

Katherine sighed. She didn't like the look of this but she knew she could stomach this. She's done worse she tells herself, but that doesn't necessarily make it easier.

She climbed up rung by rung, just a bit behind Jack.

They got to the top in a minute. Jack put his cap on his head again and went to the weather vane and retrieved it for her.

While she was walking to her, she looked at the breathtaking view, the ocean looked so peaceful from where they were. The sea was a perfect blue and the wind smelled salty.

It was so incredibly perfect and it was something you couldn't see back home in New York.

She could imagine being free in here.

"For the lady in pink." Jack said with a bit of flourish as he handed it to her.

She was jolted out of her thoughts.

"Thank you." She said and took it from him. She stared at it for a while, realizing that she didn't know how to put it back in her hair.

No one was around to teach her to fix her hair anyway. She didn't know anything beyond a ponytail and to brush her hair well enough to pass for making an effort.

"Uh. Not to be rude but ah... Are you gonna put that back in your hair?" Jack asked.

"Um.." She looked away. "I don't really have to." She was ashamed to admit she didn't know how.

Katherine Plumber, Major extraordinaire did not know how to fix her own make up or hair but knew how to kill someone with a knife and shoot at targets 50m away.

"Lemme do it." Jack held out his hand and Katherine reluctantly put it in it.

"Turn around." He said and made a twirling motion with his finger.

She obliged and attempted to hide how embarrassed she was.

Jack handled her hair with surprising gentleness. He seemed to know what he is doing.

"If I may ask, how do you know how to do this?" She wondered.

"This doesn't go anywhere okay? I don't know how to fix hair okay?" He said hurriedly. "A number of people are gonna make fun of me."

"My lips are sealed." She smiled.

She felt Jack's calloused fingers brush her nape and a shiver went down her spine.

"Well, I was in the orphanage right?" He started off.

"Yes?" She resisted the urge to move her neck. She didn't like Jack touching her neck... But at the same time, she enjoyed it.

"Well, I was ignored for a while until I became popular because of my natural charisma." Katherine could practically see him smirking behind her. "Some girls made me popular with the other kids."

She let out a small laugh as she imagined a younger Jack being surrounded by girls. His hands handled some of her hair and put it up.

"Yeah laugh while you want." He muttered. "Anyway, one kid got into a fight with another kid and it messed up her braid ya see? So she went to me and asked me to fix it. I told her I ain't got nothing to do with braiding but one look from that kid I kind of gave in. I did my best and apparently, she liked it. Soon the news scattered amongst the girls. I was teased for a while but they got over it and soon people were asking me to do their hair... Even some guys." He said this while he got all the loose strands of hair hanging all over the place. His hand brushed her cheek and another chill went down her spine. "Apparently I was really good at it. It was kind of like art, you manipulate it the way you or the person you're doing it to likes it... like if I figured someone wanted a different braid from the other then I'll do it." He sighed. "Admittedly I am kind of proud. But this doesn't go anywhere."

"Wow." Katherine said with a slight laugh. "Jack Kelly, artist and hairstylist? Military man and exemplary pilot?"

"You're forgetting amazing Newsboy."

She rolled her eyes. "You're better than what I initially expected of you."

"Same goes to you Major." He said and finished up fixing her hair. "I'm just gonna tie this real tight so it ain't gonna fly away again." After that, he removed his hands from her neck and she'd hate to say this out loud but she wished he wouldn't stop.

"Done. Not to bad if I may say so myself." He said proudly.

Katherine felt her hair and found it in an even better state than it was when Mercedes fixed it up. "Nice work lieutenant." She said and turned to face him.

She was in close quarters with him... again.

They were so close. Their breath heating the space around them.

"Not a problem Ace." He replied with a smirk. "Would do anything for ya. Have to obey orders and all." He lightly put his hand on her arm.

"Um." Katherine didn't know what to do. She wasn't used to being this close and with that physical contact. Her cheeks started to heat up. "It's all good..." He looked so good just standing there, the sun to his back and a smirk on his face. His eyes sparkled and his physique was taut and coiled, but at the same time relaxed and at ease with the situation.

They just started at each other for a few seconds. Jack's eyes studying her and the emotions in them change and change into something else.

It wasn't often someone would stare at her that way and look like they were so genuinely happy to see her. It was like fireworks were lighting up in his eyes. She couldn't imagine how hers looked like, she was also happy to be on that rooftop.

Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Jack (out of impulse) started to lean forward, closing the space between them. Her eyes widened in surprise.

What is he doing? She wondered.

The space got smaller.

And smaller.

Oh. She thought. Oh.

Her heart beat faster than ever. She encountered guns and grenades right in her face, endured countless injuries and practically stared death in the eyes.

She's coordinated battles and synchronized attacks, escaped enemies and plowed through them.

But although she was able to do that, she didn't know what to make of it... of this situation. There was no logic behind this or reasoning.

So she took a step back. Widening the gap again.

Her heart practically skipped a beat.

"Shouldn't we be going?" Her cheeks were so hot they were practically on fire. "I mean, so much to do right?" She gave off a weak laugh.

Jack looked kind of disappointed. "Uh yeah. Yeah. Lots to do." He stared at the ground and thrust his hands in his pockets.

An awkward silence passed in between them.

"But we don't have to go down right now." He looked up at her with a smile.

She cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"You have to find out." He stuck out his hand. "Come on."

Katherine stared at it. "You aren't going to do anything stupid?"

"Probably not." He smirked. "Come on. It's fun."

Katherine took his hand and he lead her to the edge of the building.

"Step up." He said and gestured to the ledge.

She's done this a million times before, so she did. She looked down and the world kind of did a 360. She didn't like heights, but she could manage as long as she had a purpose for doing it.

She didn't understand now so she didn't understand the height.

"Notice the view?" Jack said from beside her.

"Yeah I did." She said while looking down at her feet.

"Nah you're not noticing it for real." He lifted her chin and made her look at the view.

"Wow." She said.

Now that she was on the edge, the wind strong enough to make her feel like she was going to fall.

But she knew she wasn't.

She felt like she could fly and be free... now she could see why Jack loved to soar in his plane.

The wind blew her hair and chilled her.

She now noticed the sparkle of the water and the nearly cloudless sky.

The sun was setting, turning the sky shades of pink, purple and orange, the sea was dark with the deep orange sun reflecting off its surface.

It was more perfect on the edge than she could ever imagine.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I used to look at sunsets in New York." Jack said with a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "On the roof of the orphanage, or in my penthouse."

"Penthouse?" She looked at him.

"Roof of one of the buildings. Not the orphanage. Sneaking out was my specialty. Watching the hustle and bustle from above was the best... course I nearly get caught and sometimes I would get caught but I have my ways." He smirked. "You're looking at an A-class criminal. Escaped crime too many times."

"Then that means I have to take you in." She smirked back. "And strip you of all military honor."

"Fat chance Katherine Plumber. Ya can't catch me."

"Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow. "I've caught faster than you."

"Ya sure?" He was nearly laughing now. "Beat me to the dinner place and consider me caught."

"Deal." She was totally game.

"Look what's that?!" Jack said with such conviction that Katherine looked away as he ran off.

"There's nothing-" Her eyes widened when she realized it was a trick and Kelly was already making his way down.

"HEY!" She exclaimed with a laugh and went after him.

"Told you that you can never catch me!" He said and jumped off three meters from the ground and rolled. He came up standing and ran off.

"Two can play that game!" She jumped from four meters and rolled.

Yes she was in heels and in a skirt.

She came up, checked if the ribbon was still in her hair and ran after the laughing lieutenant.

-LINE BREAK-

She chased him through the town, jumping over obstacles and apologizing to glaring pedestrians. They plowed through crowds and nearly fell over stacks of boxes and sometimes people.

She would always check her hair for the ribbon, touching it as she ran.

Jack was fast, but Katherine was supposedly faster.

Jack just so happened to knock people and objects in her way, so she had to slow down.

She finally managed to catch up to Jack, being around three paces behind him.

"And you're in heels?!" Jack turned to look at her. "I'm impressed once again Ace!"

She smiled back as they continued to run.

At one point, Katherine decided that she should intercept him, so she turned a corner and ran around a building.

Jack still thought she was behind him.

After a few paces, he looked back again but was astonished to not find her there? He was still looking back quizzically when Katherine appeared in front of him.

"I got you now Kelly!" She said triumphantly.

Jack turned to face her a moment to late and ran straight into her, the momentum carrying both of them down.

"Woah!" Jack exclaimed as he tried to catch himself. Katherine tried to catch herself while supporting him but it didn't work, she fell down as well.

Jack ended up holding on to Katherine as they both hit the pavement.

She landed below Jack and nearly had the air knocked out of her. She started laughing. Real hard.

Jack was on all fours, turning red like crazy. It was fun to see that he was the one turning red now and not her. "I shoulda been lookin." He looked at her ashamed and apologetic.

"No..." Katherine struggled to form words as she was laughing too hard. "It's not..." she struggled to breathe. "I just find the situation... quite funny." She continued to laugh.

Jack stared at her for a few seconds until he started laughing as well.

People around were staring at them, muttering, shooting looks and pointing fingers but that didn't matter.

They were both laughing for a couple of minutes until they caught each other's eye and the laughing died down.

They were both looking at each other's eyes and this was when Katherine's heart has reached its maximum pulse rate. He looked very... she had no words.

Jack decided to get up. "We have a dinner." He smiled and helped Katherine up.

"Indeed we do." Katherine stood up, she pushed down her feelings and slowed down her heart beat as Jack fixed her hair a bit. He stuck out his arm again to her and she took it.

They walked a few more meters to the restaurant where they were to have dinner.

-LINE BREAK-

The waiter sat them down in a table right next to the window. He told them he would be back in a few to take their orders.

Katherine noticed the ambiance of the place, it wasn't fancy, it wasn't simple... like the breakfast joint it was just right. There were candles and set plates but it wasn't like the fancy restaurant a few blocks back.

The chatter inside was happy sounding, joyful even- it made her smile to see others enjoying their time as well.

"Made some calls just to reserve this." Jack said as he pulled out the chair for Ace.

She sat down in it. "When you weren't supposed to?" She asked.

"Twenty minute break. I went for it. Called a guy, who called another guy who called another guy and so on so forth until they called me back." Jack shrugged and took his seat.

Katherine nodded in approval as she looked at the menu. "Remind me not to underestimate you."

"Think I already have." He said with a smirk. He whistled. "Kinda hard to choose again."

"You said it." She said as she scanned the menu. "Kind of on the pricey edge though..."

"Nah. Still have enough." Jack assured her.

She pursed her lips. "Alright then."

The waiter then came to take their orders.

They said their respective orders and the waiter went off to give it to the kitchen.

Jack and Katherine engaged in small talk, it was as if they will never run out of topics to talk about.

Their food arrived and they ate in silence, it wasn't awkward though, it was a comforting silence.

Jack would bring out a pencil and started drawing on the tissue, anything really he set his eyes on. It was the food he was eating or the scenery outside and lips, eyes... other human facial parts.

Or they would glance at each other and give the occasional smile, just enjoying that fact that they were in each other's company.

They'd give out some comment about the food or laugh about a passing stranger. But nothing more than that.

Around an hour later, they finished their food.

Jack paid the bill with some the remaining money he had and was quite relieved to find out that he didn't spend all of it.

They walked out of the restaurant, arm in arm once again.

"Ya know." Jack started to speak again after five minutes of walking. "I was meaning to ask ya... when is that mission you're gonna have? You've been planning for a week now... when is it?" He looked at her.

"Oh." She bit her lip. She nearly forgot about that. "It's... this week..."

"This week?" Jack seemed shocked. "You're telling me you gotta go this week?"

"Friday. I don't know what day I'll be back, but my planning tells me

I'll be back on Saturday. Including travel and execution..."

"But not including possible delays." Jack rubbed his chin. "So you're gonna be busy for this week already?"

Katherine sighed softly. "This is war Kelly, there are a lot of things we can't prepare for." She said sadly, remembering all the mistakes she's made and the mistakes she watched other people made that cost them the mission and cost them lives that shouldn't have been lost. "It's unpredictable."

"I know." He said and looked down at his feet. "I figured you were gonna leave in a bit."

For some odd reason she felt bad for leaving, but she knew that this was her duty and she would put it above everything else. He looked kind of disappointed.

"It ain't that long." She said reassuringly. "It's just a recon mission."

He sighed. "Well. Don't forget to call if you need the fly boys to help ya."

She smiled softly. "I won't."

"That's good." Jack looked up at the sky for a while. "It's a clear night." He said. "Perfect for flying."

"Perfect for camping." She said as she looked up at the sky as well.

Jack looked back at her. "Yeah. It is."

-LINE BREAK-

Jack brought her back to the base and walked her back to her quarters.

"So this is it." Jack said as they stopped in front of the residence.

"Yeah." She said and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and wondered how the day went by so quickly. They started at 10AM and it was already 7PM...

"Look ah. You know thanks for the date." He put his hands in his pockets. "And everythin."

"Thank you as well Lieutenant." She said. "I had fun."

"Ya did?" Jack perked up.

"Of course." She smiled. "It was fun."

"Great." He smiled back. "So ah... if ya enjoyed it so much, would ya agree to a second date?"

She pondered for a bit. "Maybe lieutenant. I'll check my schedule. But I'll be looking forward to it." She was really gushing inside, in reality she honestly didn't want the day to end. It was fun, enjoyable and she felt like a normal girl- not having to worry about someone driving a knife into her back or shooting her in the head.

"Thanks." Jack said. "I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah." She replied. "Goodnight Jack."

Jack tipped his cap in reply.

Katherine turned and walked away from him.

Just as she was about to enter the quarters, she felt arms wrap around her waist and a warm and gentle sensation on her cheek.

"Goodnight Ace." He whispered in her ear before running away- back to his residence.

Katherine's eyes were wide open. It was like she was shocked with a thousand volts of energy. She was quite surprised, actually surprised is an understatement, she was incredibly surprised, even more than that.

She touched her cheek, feeling how warm it was... she was so red and she was glad no one (except maybe someone inside) saw that.

She smiled to herself, practically beaming inside. The feeling warmed her right down to her toes and made her feel like she really had to come back alive from that mission.

She used to think that if she died, she'll die. It wouldn't matter.

But now... even if she was to go away this Friday, she knew someone believed in her and that's what makes it count.

She opened the door and went inside, that smile still plastered on her face.

-LINE BREAK-


	9. Chapter 9

-LINE BREAK-

When Jack was sure he was out of earshot and out of sight, he celebrated louder than when she said yes to the date.

He jumped up in the air again and whooped twice as loud. He practically hollered to the world as people stared at him in disbelief.

He felt like he was flying. He didn't get lost this time going back to his residence, even if he was smiling like a damn idiot and skipping like a five year old girl who just got a pony.

He also managed to sneak a kiss and a hug. She also didn't punch him.

When he got back to the residence, he opened the door briskly and slammed it shut behind him. He nearly sank to the floor.

At least this time everyone was still awake.

"Oí. Why you so chipper?" Asked Tom from the bunk nearest to the door.

Jack smiled at him and had no words to describe what just happened.

"What he means to say," Davey came from the back. "Is that he didn't die." He clapped Jack on the shoulders. "You're still alive pal. That's an achievement. You made it out with only your broken nose and no additional injuries."

Jack still had that stupid grin on his face. "I know." He said giddily and bounced on the balls of his feet. "Second date is coming soon." He also decided not to mention the bruise developing on his knee from when he fell on top of Katherine, or the other unseen bruises he didn't know existed just yet.

"Nice one Jack." Tom said from his bunk. "Did ya get a kiss? Or did yah get something more?"

Other guys stupidly punched one another and laughed.

"Um." Jack turned beet red. "No." he mumbled.

Davey heard him but he asked him to speak up. "What did you say Kelly?"

"I said no..." he mumbled a little louder.

"What?" Davey teased. "Can't get you!"

"I didn't okay!" He said louder. "I just managed to kiss her cheek without dying that's all!" Jack put his hands down while his face turned redder every passing second. He put a fist to his lips as he tried to make the blood stop flowing to his face.

"Well at least you didn't die." Davey said and clapped him on the shoulder again. "Must have taken guts. A lot of it."

"Yeah man. If anyone else would try to do that, I bet they be dead by now. Or their lips cut off or something." Someone said from the side. "Lucky you then."

Jack tried putting back his charismatic and confident front. He took a deep breath and feinted cockiness. "Well, I guess I must be the one ha?" He started to walk back to his bunk as he took off the polo shirt and held the hat in his hand, exposing his evident hat hair.

"Don't be too sure of that Newsie." Stephen said from all the way at the back. "Someone might get her from you."

Jack scoffed. "Whoever that dumbass is, I bet he's no match for me." He placed his polo on top of his chest, he'd wash it later or tomorrow... or he could reuse it. "You can't get better than this." Jack said to the guy on the side. "I'm the A-game."

It's only been a week and the team has already been fed up (but the same time entertained) by Jack's confidence, it was even starting to influence them.

He pulled his shirt over his head and placed it on the chest as well.

"You never know Jack." Davey said with a shrug. "Maybe someone could get her if you don't move fast."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You all are just jealous."

"We ain't jealous." Someone said. "Some of us got girlfriends too. Smokin' hot girlfriends." He teased and pushed his bunkmate hard enough for him to stumble a bit.

"Yeah I know." Jack said with sarcasm. "But some of you are."

"They" rolled their eyes.

"Well anyway." Jack yawned and stretched, his bones cracking. "Ah that felt good." He cracked his neck before putting on a new shirt. "Been a long day. I want to get some shuteye."

"It's so early ya loser." Davey teased. "It's just 7."

"You haven't been running around the city all day have ya?" Jack raised his eyebrow. "It was kind of like a mission for 9 hours, a relaxed one but still a mission."

"You've gone longer without any sleep."

"Eh." Jack shrugged. "I have the chance to log in more minutes of sleeping, so might as well eh?"

He changed out off his clothes and into clean, (well sort of) comfortable clothes.

He jumped on his bed, kicked off his shoes and relaxed. Smiling to himself. He lay down with a thump.

Davey sat on the bed next to him. "So you had fun today then." It was more of a statement than a question, as he could see that his wingman's eyes were dancing in happiness.

"Tons of fun." Jack said with a yawn and closed his eyes.

His wingman reached over and patted him in a congratulatory manner. "Excellent work, Newsboy."

"Thanks Davey. Now let's try getting you a date ha?" Jack yawned again and turned his back to Davey, clearly a sign he really wanted to sleep. "Bet you'd do a terrible job." Jack teased before yawning again. "Terrible, terrible job."

Davey turned red at the prospect. "Um... yeah. Sure." He clenched the bedsheets in embarrassment.

Jack was drifting off to sleep already, he was tired after today's adventure. Running through the streets, walking on the beach, laughing hard and smiling a lot.

It was a great, great day.

Jack Kelly fell asleep while he was planning for that second date.

He was also thinking of a proper send off for his soon to be sweetheart.

-LINE BREAK-

Meanwhile in Katherine's residence...

She was glad no one questioned her when she walked into the residence with her cheeks on fire. Sure she got some stares because of what she was wearing but nothing out of line.

Well except for...

Mercedes sat up from reading her book. She looked at Katherine with excitement. "How was it?" She whisper shouted.

Everyone else in the room wasn't listening or pretended not to be listening.

"It was fine." Katherine said and pulled the ribbon out of her hair. She had already put on her emotionless facade. "All good." She handed it to the captain. "Enjoyable." She described the day in one word, not wanting to dwell on the specifics.

Mercedes huffed and took the ribbon from her, relieved that it was just as she gave it. "You're not one for details are you?"

"When it concerns my personal life, I don't think so." Ace replied smoothly as she went off to get her clothes from her chest. "It's not like it's of importance to others."

"I want to talk about it." She pouted. "I fixed your hair."

"And I am quite grateful for that act but I don't feel like talking about the day." Ace really didn't feel like talking, she was afraid that if she talks about him she'll become a rambling mess and she'd blush the whole night and whole day the next day. She combed the tangles out of her hair with her hands.

Mercedes pressed some more but Katherine refused to give any statement on the matter. She went inside the bathroom to freshen up and clean herself before changing into comfortable clothes.

She came out in said clothes and packed her stuff away neatly in the chest at the foot of her bed.

Mercedes was still waiting for some details. "Come on Major." She practically begged. "One thing you can tell me. Just one thing."

Katherine closed her chest and sat on her bed, facing Mercedes. "Alright. Fine." She took a deep breath. "We ran around the city, chasing after your ribbon which I nearly lost." She admitted with a small smirk. "That good enough for you?"

The captain raised her eyebrow. "You lost my ribbon." She paused. "The very ribbon I told you not to lose."

"I didn't lose it." Katherine teased, "I mean obviously, since it's in your hands right now." She messed with the covers on her bed. "Aren't you pleased that I have returned it?"

"Well of course I'm pleased to have it returned." Mercedes rolled her eyes. "I'm just displeased with the fact you nearly lost it."

"Well then I guess we're good then. I'm turning in for the night, final week of planning for my mission starts tomorrow." Katherine lay down and tucked herself in. "Good night Captain."

As Katherine closed her eyes she heard Mercedes sigh. "Alright fine. Good night Major."

Katherine curled up and got comfortable under her covers. She felt great, but at the same time she felt tired. She had to sleep.

As Katherine fell asleep, she thought of Jack and how she had to come back alive this time. Before, when she would go on super dangerous, top-secret missions, it wouldn't matter to her if she came back in a body bag or a coffin or still breathing. Duty before everything else, and even if it was still that way... she wanted to come back alive and well. Few injuries were fine as long as she was alive. It was like today fueled her desire to finish all the missions assigned to her... successfully.

Because she finally had something or someone worth returning to.

-LINE BREAK-

(A/N: OKAY, so please start forgiving the historical inaccuracy. I'm really not into like the facts and stuff, I mean I am but I'm not super into it like my AP World History friends. So I know the basics and I could always google the dates, but don't expect any specifications. Ty!)

After the date, the duo barely saw each other, the days were getting busier and busier. They would pass by one another and give the occasional smile or salute, but that was it.

Katherine had to stay up even later (except for Thursday) to complete all the plans, do a dry run in the field and fix all her men and women up for the mission.

She pushed any other thought out of her mind for she had to focus on the task at hand. She had the back up for the back up and a back up for that back up.

And of course, if they were captured, an escape plan. If all else failed, they had concealed knives up there sleeves and just go down fighting.

One of the days in that week, on the afternoon of that day specifically, Katherine was barking orders as the team shot targets down range. She demonstrated her marksmanship as she shot all the targets in succession. The pressure was all on her as always, one slip up, they would not let it go.

She was lethal from long distances and even up close when hand to hand training was in order.

She would still train the newbies in the morning, planning when that was done and some training time to herself at night.

Every time before a mission, or maybe just as a hobby or something to relax her, she would either go to a punching bag in the gym and wreak havoc on it, find someone to spar with or sit quietly on her bed, writing in the journal she brought with her.

It seemed that Katherine also had a journal with her, a gift from her father. He said it was to log whatever happened in that day.

Well, I guess he didn't mean military exploits. So just to rebel just a little bit, she would so descriptively describe training that when she would reread what she wrote, she would find her self remembering it as if it was playing in front of her.

It was like those movies about war, it maybe black and white but clear as day.

The day arrived for the mission. It was Friday. She had already packed days before and was ready to go in a moment's notice.

She woke up and dressed in her combat/stealth uniform. Combat boots, the standard issue top and pants... the usual.

She grabbed her bag and walked out of the the residence at 4AM sharp. She was sure that everyone was fully prepared to execute this over the course of maybe a week, possibly less and possibly more. She had packed all the things she needed, plans, clothes, her knife, a revolver... she was fine.

The plane was set to leave at 5AM, no earlier, no later.

It was still dark out, but Katherine had no problem getting to the airstrip.

She was the first one there, so she walked up the ramp at the back of the plane loaded her stuff into it.

By the time she got down, some people were already there.

She took in a deep breath and went down the ramp to meet with her crew.

-LINE BREAK-

At around 0450 hours, everyone was there and prepared to board the plane.

The pilots already did their final check and fixed all that needed to be fixed.

They were ready.

Like all missions before, Katherine remained calm and collected, like the quiet before a storm.

She turned to her team. "Alright. It's time we board the plane. Just let me remind you all before you decide to take a step into the plane. This is your last chance to leave. I give this chance to all the crews I have handled, if you wish to leave with a 100% guarantee you'll live then do so. If you still want to join me on this mission, then by all means. Step forward.

To her surprise, the first one that stepped forward was the same person who first questioned her authority. "I'd follow you." He said. "I mean, all that preparation has to mean something right?"

Katherine smiled at him gratefully as everyone else took a step forward.

"Thank you." Katherine said. "Let's get this show on the road."

The team made their way towards the plane and walked up the ramp to board.

Katherine stayed down until everyone else was boarded. She climbed up the ramp and was about to go inside when she heard someone call her name.

"Ace!" The voice cried. "Hey wait!"

Katherine would recognize that voice even if it came from miles away.

"You've come to see me off?" Katherine turned around to see Lieutenant Kelly, dressed in his sleeping clothes, barefoot.

His hair was a mess his eyes looked sleepy. He yawned. "Well, couldn't not say goodbye."

Katherine looked into the plane for a second and then looked back at the Lieutenant. She sighed and made her way down to him.

Jack walked forward towards her. "Did anyone tell you you look beautiful in uniform?"

Katherine's heart skipped a beat. Another compliment. She breathed out. It warmed her and pleased her and she hadn't been pleased by anyone for a while.

"Not really. I'd usually kill them before they'd have the chance." Katherine replied and stopped in front of the lieutenant. They stood two feet away from each other.

It was odd on how Katherine found his disheveled state oddly attractive and somewhat... cute. His shirt was wrinkled and he had some drool on his chin. The tape on his nose was peeling off and she had to fight herself to not place it back in place.

"Guess I'm lucky." He said smiling at her. "Lucky that you haven't killed me yet."

"Well," She inhaled. Then a thought came go her. "Out of genuine curiosity, how did you know what time I was going to leave? I do not remember telling you."

"I have my ways." He smirked and chuckled. "Few strings to pull."

"You've been here a week and you have strings to pull already."

"What can I say Ace, I'm naturally charismatic, I can get what I want from anyone."

"Not anyone." She replied snarkily.

He knew what she meant. "I'll get there soon." He said with such confidence she found it hard not to believe he will.

Not that she wanted him to.

She glanced at her watch, she only had a few minutes before she'd be labeled irresponsible. "Well, wish me luck Kelly." She said and crossed her arms. "I hope you don't get into any trouble while I'm gone." She couldn't hide the smile on her face.

Jack snorted. "Trouble? Darling, my middle name is trouble. Trouble finds me first."

Katherine suppressed a laugh.

Jack smiled at her. "Good luck Major. Come back alive. I'd hate to have to cut our relationship short."

"I'll try." Katherine said. She looked at him, she has studied people for years and from she has read from him, he is a good man who does not lie (so far) when he talks to her.

She could tell. The way he stands, the way he says things. He isn't lying.

But he still has to prove himself or something like that. She wasn't head over heels for him yet.

An awkward silence passed. She imagined everyone was watching her and snickering.

"I should go." She said and turned away. "Goodbye Jack."

She started walking away.

"Hey Plumber."

She turned to face him.

"Don't ya want a kiss for good luck?" Jack spread his arms. "It's customary if you know what I mean."

She almost stepped towards him but instead she smirked. "If I come back alive, we'll see about that kiss."

"I'll be looking forward to it." Jack saluted her with a smile. "See you around."

She saluted back. "See you." She then ran up the ramp and boarded the plane.

It was the typical military aircraft, instead of having rows of seats, the seats were along the sides, allowing a large space in the middle. Everyone watched her, some making comments she opened to ignore.

She walked to her seat, ignoring the notorious eyebrow wiggle Mercedes was giving her.

She strapped herself in and glanced out the window.

Jack was still there, he was probably going to stay there until the plane disappeared into the clouds.

The plane's engine whirred to life as the pilot told them last minute reminders.

Katherine didn't like flying much, so she braced herself for the speed of takeoff and the pressure she felt when the plane started to fly.

She let go of her tight grip on her pants and calmed herself down as she watched the clouds go by.

The mission was starting.

She was ready.

Even if it might go downhill.

-LINE BREAK-

Jack watched the plane disappear into the clouds, wishing that he was the pilot.

He stared at the sky for a while before turning back and running to his residence before anyone would notice that he was gone.

His bare feet slapped against the pavement, at this point some people may be wondering who was this strange boy running around the base. Other people probably have seen this before anyway.

Jack got back to residence and moved as quietly as possible. He got back under the covers and tried to fall asleep again.

It took him a while, but he did...

Only to be awakened by General McArthur a few minutes later.

-LINE BREAK-

Jack, while Katherine was gone, he was also very, very busy. The team was catching up on all the training they had to do, they logged in more minutes in the air than they had doing any other activity.

Like the previous week, Jack was taught new things, some fake fights between teammates.

He liked that one because he would usually win, except for that one time against a man named Tom. He was distracted a bit and he got an imaginary projectile in his engine.

They would also do many physical exercises so they can stay in shape and stay as alert as possible.

There was this one time, McArthur slammed the door open and barked at them to run around the field twenty times. Afterwards they were required to suit up as quickly as possible in their flight suits and do a drill he planned for all of them.

Jack managed to do that without killing himself or making any mistakes.

I mean, he could be disciplined when he wanted to be. He wasn't always impulsive.

Well I did say wasn't always. He still did some reckless stuff, like prancing some people and terrorizing the newbies, making them think he is an officer of a higher rank than Lieutenant.

It was funny, except when he nearly got caught by McArthur.

He couldn't stop thinking about Katherine, his notebook was full of drawings, with her in the mix. Davey would threaten to expose him, but he never did. He found it nice that his best friend had something to make him smile.

Jack though didn't find it nice that Davey was really, really upset. It didn't show when he was doing something, but at night he could hear him tossing and turning. He knew that Davey was still thinking about his family and everything.

He hadn't received a telegram or a letter or anything of the sort, from Les. He got one from his mom and his dad, but Les didn't write him one.

Jack reassured him that Les just wasn't the writing type. But that didn't seem to improve his mood.

Davey's mom and dad told him that Les was holding up but was still upset by the fact that Davey had to leave all of a sudden. Jack didn't want to read over Davey's shoulder any further but he saw something about missing Davey.

Davey didn't want to talk about it and Jack was fine with it, it wasn't like he could give any good advice.

One day, McArthur called Jack, just Jack to his office. No Davey and no Tom or no anyone. It was just him.

Of course Jack was scared, it wasn't everyday that he would be called alone, we would always have someone with him or have someone to drag down with him.

Maybe McArthur finally wanted to get rid of him from his team, or something of the sort. He would not admit that his hands were shaking non-stop as he fumbled to open the door of McArthur's office.

"Kelly." McArthur read the paper in front of him. "I was wondering when you were going to get here."

"You wanted to see me sir?" He his his hands behind his back and fought back the urge to straighten the outfit he hastened to wear.

He was sort of in full uniform, he was actually in a full flight suit. He just came from doing a training exercise when one of the privates came running to him. He was winded and had such a difficult time getting his thoughts and words together.

It actually took a long time to calm the poor guy down.

Once Jack got the gist of it, he knew that he had to hurry.

McArthur called for him and wanted him there immediately.

Jack knew that he wasn't any Pulitzer, at least the general back at home was used to having Jack around. But it was like his first few days out of the Academy.

One slip up and he was going to be permanently screwed.

"Well, you don't need to fret about me calling you here." McArthur didn't make any eye contact with him. "You aren't the first one I called today."

That didn't do him any favors, he was still panicky and wondered what happened to them.

"I got few of your teammates and some of my personal favorites from the rookies." He flipped the page on the report he was holding. "It's for an important errand."

This excited Jack. This was definitely much better. A dangerous mission with a high chance of death is much better than being sent packing. "What is it sir?" He asked.

McArthur glanced at him through his glasses. He slid a rectangular brown envelope towards him. "It's all in there. But basically, you are part of another team besides mine. The president requires that we send more pilots to assist our allies. Protect our other men. I was going to assign you to a mission of my choosing at a much later time, but if you come back alive... you can still take it."

Jack stepped forward and took the envelope. He stared at it in his hands. He took the paper out of the envelope and read what he had to do.

It was dangerous, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

"Do you accept?" McArthur asked, jolting him out of his thoughts.

Jack gulped. "I accept." He put the paper back inside and saluted him.

"Sir."

"Dismissed." The general said. "And please do call your wingman, I have a different assignment for him."

Jack wondered what that meant. "Of course sir."

Jack walked out of the office and headed to where Davey was at.

-LINE BREAK-

Meanwhile in the air...

Katherine didn't expect the mission to go south so quickly.

Turns out, they were flying a bird with a engine, a small mistake that went unnoticed.

They were an hour away from their destination. Everyone was weary of flying in rigid seats for six hours (give or take) already.

Katherine was silent the whole time, she didn't want to take part in the conversations. She'd throw in her piece or give the occasional nod or smile, but that was it.

She felt nervous for some odd reason, but she hid her nervousness well.

She was just about to relax and feel like it was going to be an easy recon mission, the plane shuddered and rocked violently. Bags were displaced and Katherine immediately latched on to a metal bar to keep her steady.

A small explosion was heard outside. She looked out the window and saw black smoke trailing.

Everyone stopped talking and looked around and at each other in alarm.

"What was that?" Mercedes asked.

"I don't know." Katherine replied and unfastened her seat belt as she struggled to make it to the cockpit.

She nearly fell three times, and her stomach dropped occasionally, and she knew that wasn't a good thing.

They were losing altitude.

"Captain." She said upon reaching the cockpit. "What seems to be the matter?"

The captain and the co-pilot looked at her. "We just lost an engine." The pilot said. "Shouldn't have happened."

Katherine's eyes widened as she looked out the window. She forced herself to stay calm. This was one of the reasons why she hated flying. "Well, isn't this supposed to continue flying even if we lose one or two?" She asked. She had flown on planes with one engine not working, she didn't enjoy it but the plane didn't crash.

"Yes. Supposedly Major but..." the pilot pointed to a radar. "We have company."

"That's impossible." Katherine peered at the radar. There were other dots surrounding their blinking red dot. "We shouldn't be..."

"We know that." The co-pilot stated. "We noticed them just before the plane lost an engine. The reason why we dropped altitude was for evasive measures." He flipped some switches. "That might not work as planned. We've got weapons... but this lady is fat and we ain't got the maneuverability we'd want."

The pilot flipped a switch and announced that they were under attack. "They found us." He said and the plane made a sharp turn. Katherine saw a wingtip of a Japanese plane outside, a plane never flies alone. There were more.

An explosion rocked the plane causing Ace to nearly lose her footing.

The pilot swore. "Warning shot."

"How the hell did they find us? I planned this mission so that we fly over friendly territory or at least avoid these men!" Katherine gritted her teeth as the plane rocked and she heard the panicked exclaims from her crew members.

"They might have been doing a mission, we are unfortunate enough to intercept them." The pilot said and the plane shook. He groaned and made a sharp turn.

"I suggest you strap yourself in Major. We cannot outrun these birds. But we will do everything to keep her-" the co-pilot was cut off by the sound of tearing metal.

He swore. He glanced at the screen. "Lost another engine. Goddamn it!" He slammed his wheel. He tried firing some weapons but none hit their mark.

Katherine's heart started beating, this was not how she imagined going down. This is not how she wanted to go down.

He looked at Katherine. "Start praying Major," the plane dropped and left Katherine's stomach fifty feet above her. "This might be tough."

She nodded and held on for dear life.


	10. Chapter 10

Katherine found herself alive. She was still strapped to her seat. She assessed her surroundings first, some of the crew were still strapped in like her, the plane was a wreak. Some parts were charred and wiring was coming out of the ceiling. She did a silent headcount, and she was missing around ten of her crew. Not including the pilots... assuming they were also alive.

She didn't know where they were but she was sure they were not in friendly territory. She assessed herself... and swore. She had a large piece of shrapnel in her forearm, it pierced the arm all the way through. When she noticed it the pain started to come through. She could barely move her arm and she was getting dizzy because of the blood loss. Her sleeve was soaked crimson.

She unbuckled herself and fell to the ground. She hissed in pain and forced herself into a proper seating position. She let out a cry and bit down on her lip to silence herself. Footsteps approached her. "You okay Major?"

She didn't bother looking as she waved him off. "Help the others. Make a headcount. Check if the communications console is working and try to contact the base. Tell the ones who can move to hide the supplies somewhere. I got this."

"But-"

"That's an order!" She snapped and studied her arm. It went all the way through, and the only way to fix this was to...

She tore a bit of her shirt and held one end of the piece. She took a deep breath and pulled. She shouted in pain and her face scrunched in concentration. Spikes of pain shot up her arm, knowing that this arm might now be rendered useless if enough nerves were severed. She continued to pull until it was completely out.

She was breathing hard as she examined the piece. It wasn't that jagged, which was a relief. She tried moving her fingers, they all work, but with a lot of pain.

She leaned back and sighed. She blinked back the tears in her eyes and took deep breaths to slow down her heartbeat. She ripped out a part of her sleeve again to make a temporary bandage. She made sure it was tight.

Moments later, she stood up and went outside of the wreckage with a high amount of swearing. She studied the area and saw the amount of debris thrown everywhere, the wings were about fifty yards away, the main body was intact, the tail was a mile away and... and... Katherine steeled her nerves. There were bodies on the ground. The ten that weren't there earlier... she found them. They were all mangled, bloodied and torn apart. She went to them individually, checked their pulses just to be sure, and took their dog tags when she found out they were gone. She committed their names to memory. When she hit the tenth body however... she stopped dead in her tracks.

She first noted the severed arm lying feet away from the body. Then she noticed the pool of blood around the body. Then she noticed the pink ribbon tied around her wrist.

Katherine collapsed to her knees, shell-shocked. The dog tags making soft noises as she fell. She couldn't believe her eyes, she refused to believe it because... there lay Captain Mercedes... the first friend she had.

"No." She said softly. "No no no no no." She felt for a pulse. "No no no no..." Of all the people, she thought she would be alive. She thought... she thought... Katherine punched the ground with her good hand, relishing the pain she got back from hitting a small sharp rock. She hit it again, and again and again. She blamed herself for this as she always did. She swore and swore again. Cursing the Japs that shot them down. She had lost the one person she would have been the best of friends with. She had lost one of the best women she had ever met.

She stared at her for a while, silently thanking her for the time they had before leaning to pull her dog tag and get the ribbon from her wrist. She would bring that ribbon back to her niece if it was the last thing she'd do. She let a tear fall from her face, but that was all she allowed.

And that was all she was allowed to let out before she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head before darkness consumed her.

-LINE BREAK-

When Katherine came to, she knew she was wading in a huge pile of shit.

She was tied up, noticing the tight bonds tied across her torso, her wrists, her feet and she had a gag on her mouth too. She was lying down, and judging from the pain that spiked from her ribs, she was thrown down like a sack of potatoes and left for God knows how long. Her arm was throbbing from the wound she found earlier, she prayed it was not infected.

She studied her surroundings and found herself to not be alone, but the lighting was poor. She was in somewhat a shack, the sunlight streaming in through gaps in the wooden ceiling. The floor was rough, nails jutting out here and there. Whoever had put them in did not care weather or not if they would be injured by the rusting metal.

She glanced around and found herself to be with her crew. She saw the survivors. Some were awake and taking in their surroundings. Some were sleeping, but the smell suggested... no. She couldn't afford to think that way.

She took off the gag by rubbing her face on the floor and dragged herself into an upright position. "Is everyone here alright?"

"We're fine Major." A voice said from the back.

"What are ya saying Tom?" A guy drawled from the corner, holding his side. "We're all going to die."

"Shut up Max." Tom snapped at him. "We're gonna make it." He looked at Katherine. "But honestly Major, some of us are in pretty bad shape, we're amazed that the Japs kept us alive this long and actually took us all."

"All?" Katherine raised an eyebrow. "Give me a solid count."

"Thirty? Twenty-seven?" Tom shook his head. "I am not sure Major, by this time-"

"What do you mean by this time?"

"What he means to say," Another continued from his place on the floor. "Is that Japs separated us, took some of us and..." he gulped. "Tortured. Interrogated."

As if on cue, a cry was heard from the thin walls of the shack and the sound of a blade drawing and slashing.

Katherine resisted the urge to shudder and reinforced the stone facade she was struggling to keep up. "You all know your duty."

Some of them nodded gravely, the other curled up as much as they could with their bonds.

The heat was insufferable. The bugs were everywhere and god knows how the men were doing.

"What's our status?" She swallowed her saliva.

"The attempt at contact Major... they know our location but we aren't sure if our message got across, or if they know we're alive. The weapons and medical supplies were hauled off by the Japanese, I saw them find it where we hid it ma'am."

"Did they search you?"

"Yes they did. Our knives our gone. We have no weapons."

She shook her head and scoffed. "Wow. Prisoners of war. Is this how I saw myself go out?" She shook her head again then looked at her crew. "I swear it, if it is the last thing I'll do, we will get out. I promise. I will get you home. It is an honor serving with you, and I look forward to serving with you all on our next mission."

All of a sudden the shack flooded with light and Katherine turned to face the now open door. There was a silhouette of a man at the door holding what seemed to be a sack.

The man spoke in rapid fire Japanese before realising his mistake. "Leader?" He demanded. "Where is leader?" He shook his sack angrily and tossed it at Katherine's feet.

It wasn't a sack.

"He not leader!" The Jap pointed angrily with his rifle at the bloody body he was carrying. "He know nothing!" He pointed the rifle at all of them. "Where leader?" He stepped on the body and it groaned. Katherine sighed, relieved that her comrade was still alive, but appealed at the growing pool of blood under him.

"Where?!" The Japanese soldier screamed and pointed the rifle at James's head. "Or I shoot!"

Katherine looked at her teammates for confirmation, she would gladly sacrifice herself if it meant saving the lives of the others. She would gladly.

She turned to face the Jap, chin high and eyes aflame. "I am the leader. Major Katherine Plumber, present and accounted for."

-LINE BREAK-

When Jack saw Davey walking towards him, he wondered what had General McArthur told him.

"There you are!" Jack clapped Davey on the back. "I was wondering when you was gonna come back."

Davey gave Jack a weak smile. "Yeah..."

Jack cocked his head. "Hey, there's something wrong?"

"No, not really but..." Davey rubbed his nape. "Well, the mission I got... it's still pretty far but... I mean..." He sighed. "I don't think I'm ever gonna get something as great as what you got."

Jack blinked. "What do you mean?"

"It means that I won't be able to help our allies or travel the world like you will later on... you're assigned to help our allies right?"

"Yeah?"

"And that means you could leave any second right? Go to another country or something?"

Jack squirmed uncomfortably. "I guess so..."

"I want to be able to do that." Davey had a faraway look in his eyes.

Jack realized what he was implying. "Davey, you don't really. There's a higher chance of you dying out there."

Davey's eyes shot back to Jack. "And so?" He crossed his arms. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"You have a family to get back to, be thankful you aren't being sent far or will be sent far for that matter."

Davey had a hard look in his eyes. "I have to serve." Davey said with finality. "It's either that or they'll never see me as a hero."

"They?" Jack raised his eyebrows. "Or is it just Les?"

Davey looked away.

"Look Dave, you can't blame yourself for his reaction. He's a big boy and he's going through a lot of changes. You gotta cut him some slack. He loves you ha? And I hate seeing you like this. So cheer up and move on. If you want to be a hero you gotta act like one." Jack gripped Davey's shoulders. "Stay strong, you'll get your mission soon..." His voice faltered as he saw William, one of his cabin mates run towards them.

Davey looked behind and they walked to intercept him.

"Will?" Jack asked. "What's the matter?"

"Well," Will put his hands on his knees. "James was in the control room right? And they were monitoring Major Katherine's mission right? So James told Captain Chris and Chris told Johnson to tell John to tell Danny then he told Rafe, then Rafe told Max to tell me to tell you that-" Will took a deep breath. "Katherine's-" he gasped for air. "Plane went down."

Jack blinked. "What?"

"Her plane went down Jack." Will looked at him.

Jack's blood turned into ice. He didn't know her for so long, but he didn't want her gone. "When?"

Will winced at the tone of his voice. "The day she left."

"Friday?" Jack exclaimed. It was Monday already for Christ's sake. "How come I'm only hearing this now?" Jack was already beating himself up mentally for not stealing any info for himself in the control room, but he believed in Katherine so much he didn't feel the need to check on her.

"It was hard to get any information out." Will said. "And news travels kind of slow when you're busy."

He pursed his lips. "I'm sorry."

"Well are they not calling for back-up?! Or anything?!" He barely noticed Davey flinch back at the harsh tone of Jack's voice.

"They can't Kelly. You know why. We have no radio contact with them, the plane went down, short range radios won't reach here. The only sure thing we do know is where they are."

Jack ran a hand through his already tousled hair. "Then why aren't we suiting up already? They need back-up!"

"We can't!" Will held Jack's shoulders. "You know why we can't. We'd be flying in there blind."

Jack's head hung low. "So are we assuming...?"

"Yes. Missing in action, until they have established contact." Will removed his hands from Jack's shoulders. "Nothing is confirmed yet Kelly. She may still be alive."

Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "I hope so."

-LINE BREAK-

Jack couldn't sleep, it wasn't even an option. He tossed and turned constantly, thinking about Katherine and when he did close his eyes, all he saw was his past battles, which was nothing compared to Katherine's. He stared at the ceiling, not knowing what to do, but he was determined to somehow get her. He had no orders yet, or no confirmation. He was having such a hard time it was really hard to enjoy the small things as the days passed. They had to be planning already, like the generals should be fixing this shit. They should be planning, McArthur should have called him in already. He was sure the army needed Major Katherine, she was such a force to be reckoned with, a lot of victories they owed to her. He's heard the stories since he started being interested with her and he was so impressed. They couldn't just leave her there to die.

He felt like he knew her his whole life, even if they've only known each other for what? A month now? A little less? More? He sighed, he really wasn't sure, but when he saw her, he was so sure of a lot of things. Sure, she may be a little proud and sometimes a bit... overbearing, but she was charming, witty and smart...

He sighed and turned over, debating whether or not he should take his third walk outside.

He wasn't fussing, he wouldn't admit that he was too worried about her. He also wouldn't admit that he would be lost in thought about her. He wouldn't admit he was definitely a sucker for her.

Love at first sight is for suckers. He chided himself all the time if he caught himself thinking about her.

He was a sucker then.

He wasn't sure though what to make of all the feelings stirring within him. The times he caught her gaze, his heart would flutter. He wasn't entirely sure she felt the same way, but he really hoped she did. He placed his hands behind his head, still thinking about her and what he could do.

There was one moment replaying in his head, the time he nearly kissed her on the rooftop.

Jack blushed at the memory, thinking about how stupid that move was. He couldn't help himself though, they were so close to each other. So close he could smell her shampoo and feel the heat of her pressed to him. It was really hard to resist, her lips were right there and he really wanted to kiss them, if just briefly. She was beautiful, there was no denying that. In that moment, she looked... like a normal woman, not battle hardened, not trying to hide the scars on her arms or on her legs every time she walked, not always putting up a stone-hard facade in front of her, she looked like her. Her hair was wind blown and messy, but her eyes sparkled. She looked stunning and was a true knockout. The whole day he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Thankfully, Katherine moved back before any of that kissing business could happen and also thankfully, she didn't hit him for trying to kiss her.

And that was their first date.

What more the second? Or the third? He did have funny encounters with her sometimes, those little jabs of insults or sometimes bumping into each other, but those lasted only seconds.

He loved each and every one of those seconds. A glance, a smile, a laugh, a joke, a wave. He loved it.

He sighed, glancing at the clock.

His attempt at sleeping was not going so well, but in the end he fell into a short, dreamless slumber.

-LINE BREAK-

Jack spent his free time drawing, or walking with some of his friends in the streets. He was trying to take his mind of things, considering that it was already six days since Will told him the news about Katherine. It was driving him (and Davey) nuts, but Jack was thinking about Katherine, Davey was thinking about Jack thinking about Katherine too much.

Like he was the one to speak. Always worrying about Les and his family. (Not that it was bad but Jack really really hated seeing Davey distressed.)

One day, he accompanied some of the boys in a walk around town. He was distracted, as usual. They were talking about some movie they were going to see with their girls? Some time next week? He wasn't sure. He was sure though that he wanted Katherine to be there with him, if she said yes to such behaviour that is. Jack was just trailing behind, completely lost in thought. He only spoke when spoken to or if Davey made an attempt to include Jack in the conversation.

They passed by an alleyway and the noises coming from it caught Jack by surprise. A woman ran quickly past Jack, her purse open and the contents nearly spilling out.

"Oí!" A gruff voice made Jack pause and watch the scene. There were two big guys, probably brothers, ganging up on this smaller guy... who appeared to have crutches because of his gimp leg. He was small in stature, curly hair and worn out clothes. The bigger guys wore similar outfits, black coats, ties, slacks and dress shoes. "You think you can just do that and get away with it?"

"Get away from me!" The kid said with surprising ferocity and he swept his crutch, causing one man to stumble back cursing. He made another move and hit the other guy in the gut.

"That is the last straw." Said the man on the floor. "We told you to leave and go home to your mama. You have no business messing with our business.

"Oh wait." The other guy recovered. "You ain't got no parents do you?" He laughed. "That's right. We told you to beat it kid."

Jack frowned. There was no justice or courage in beating up the crippled or disabled just because of their current situation. He also gated people who picked on orphans, being an orphan himself. His rage started boiling, his hands curled into fists. but he kept it in. He had to stop jumping into fights, last time he did that, the other guy looked better that he did.

"We told you to stay out you lazy cripple." One of the brothers shoved the poor kid and he hit the floor. "This is our alleyway. This is our building. This is our turf. Whoever wanders here is free game."

That explained the woman. Jack got even angrier. These two were just pushing it.

"I ain't got anywhere to go." The kid protested from his position on the floor as he struggled to get up. "But if you insist-"

"Sit down!" The guy pushed him down and raised a fist. "The first time you told us off, we let you go with a black eye. You deserve a full beating for this." He picked up the kid by the collar.

The other guy cracked his knuckles.

That was enough for Jack. "Hey!" He yelled at the two goonies. "You get away from him!"

The one raising the kid looked at Jack. "And what are you gonna do about it?" The guy moved his to show a gun tucked into his waistband.

Jack assessed the situation. Two guys, both bigger than him, quite possibly a knife and a gun in their belts. He has handled worse. He survived Katherine, he can handle these two.

Jack heard someone call his name, at least he knew backup was coming.

He stepped into the alleyway. "No need for them firearms ha? It's cowardly way to fight. Why don't we do this, man to man?"

"Man to man huh?" The guy stared at the kid then back at Jack. "To whom do I owe the pleasure to?"

Jack bowed deeply and tipped his newsboy hat. "Lieutenant Jack Kelly of the Air Force at your service." He looked up with a sparkle in his eye. "And you are?"

"Jacob. My brother Nathan." He head pointed to the other guy.

"Now that we was properly introduced, can you please drop the poor kid... um... what's your name?"

"C-Crutchie. Sir." The kid replied.

"Please drop Crutchie, you don't need to carry him while we fight do we?" Jack gave him the smile that drives the generals crazy with anger.

The two brothers looked at each other and nodded, Jacob dropped Crutchie. The kid scrambled for his Crutches and stood up, looking for excited than scared.

"Well," Jack made a come on gesture. "let's dance."

Nathan came over and aimed a punch at Jack's face. Jack simply sidestepped and then caught the fist in his hand. He pulled Nathan close and kneed him in the stomach. Jack laughed at the man puking on the ground. "Not so tough now are you?" He stepped on his back then looked at Jacob. "You coming for some of this?"

"Why you little shit!" Jacob shouted, obviously not learning his lesson as he chatted straight for Jack.

"Language Jacob!" Jack laughed and tripped him then caught him by the collar. He punched him in the face, breaking his nose with a satisfying crack. Jack's nose didn't even throb with sympathy. He kicked him in the butt and sent him sliding on the wet alleyway floor.

"The next time the two of you decide to come beat some guy up, I won't go so easy on you." Jack picked up the two brothers by the collar. Jacob holding his nose and groaning, while Nathan looked like a mess. "So scram!" He pushed them forward, straight into his adoring fans, the guys he went with earlier.

They slapped the brother in the ass and pushed them around while they whooped and laughed. They then pushed them away, sending them running.

"You picked the wrong flyboy to mess with!" Davey called after and threw a can in their direction.

Jack went to Crutchie straight away while ignoring the cheering of his teammates.

"You okay kid?" Jack asked as he studied the boy. He looked about seventeen, he could pass off as younger, maybe fifteen because of his build. Or maybe he was actually younger, time in the streets makes you grow up faster than you have to. He was dirty, face grimy and fingernails caked with dirt. He had an old bandage wrapped around his arm.

"Yeah." Crutchie replied and shifted his crutch so that he was standing up straighter. "Thank you sir."

"Ya don't need to call me sir." Jack clapped him on the back and led him away from the spot he was, a few feet away from where his friends were waiting. "I'm just Jack, or you could call me by my last name, Kelly."

"Thank you Jack."

"And ah. Is your name really Crutchie?"

"It's a nickname I go by." He shrugged. "I kinda like it anyway."

Jack was staring to like this kid a lot more. He didn't let the world see they got to him, like what Jack did long before.

"Well. I heard you ain't got a home. Friends?"

"At the orphanage, but I ain't got a long time there. I'm sixteen already."

"I've been there kid, it's hard. If you ever need help though, you can find me at Pearl Harbor. Just holler okay?" He clapped him on the back. "Orphans gotta look out of each other." He winked at Crutchie. "Right?"

"Y-Yeah." Crutchie smiled.

"And I admire your courage kid. Standing up for people takes some mix of stupid and brave. Watch out for the fights you get into. Make sure you can handle them. If you can't, don't be afraid to holler for help." He started to walk away from Crutchie. "Oh and one more thing." He stopped walking. "Stay safe. Watch that gimp leg of yours."

He continued to walk straight into his teammates and walk with them as if nothing happened.

It was all in a day's work anyway.

-LINE BREAK-

(A/N: Before ANY of you history nuts comment pls know that I am making this part up and I'd like to think it was very possible.)

This was definitely not in a day's work.

Katherine was thrown to the ground and kicked in the stomach for the millionth time in five days. She coughed up blood, making a lovely addition to the already blood soaked ground.

Turns out she wasn't in just some Japanese base, she was in a good Japanese base. There was an airstrip lined with around ten to fifteen planes of different sizes and models, mostly like the ones Jack pilots.

There were even barracks and different buildings. She was sure around a hundred people were in that base.

But it wasn't big, it was small in comparison to the ones she has seen already. It looked like it could be put up in a week and taken down in half the time it took to put up. There would be no evidence of it existing.

She realized that... it was efficient. They could just relocate if they were compromised. It was secret, and hidden in a forest. She hated the fact that Americans could have flown past this without knowing. She hated that she was careless enough to fly over this. She hated that they were the fleet that they took down, as if they knew the mission was going to happen. Maybe they tapped into their radio lines and heard that they were supposed to infiltrate a base. The Army overlooked that because of maybe their confidence. The Japanese knew their way around technology and they knew what exactly to do, when to do it. They were disciplined, well-trained and fierce. She admired that about them.

What she didn't admire was the poorly articulated English being screamed at her.

"Where base?" The man screamed and spit flew in her face.

"I won't tell you anything." She said through gritted teeth. "Nothing."

She was hit again and her vision swarmed with black dots.

"If you don't tell anything," the man interrogating her took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew fumes in her face, "you will die."

"So be it." She replied, not coughing in the fumes he blew at her. She let her eyes water but she didn't dare react to any of it, even if she was lying down on the ground. "Kill me."

The man snarled at her and quicker than she thought possible, bent down and pressed the lighted end of his cigarette to her neck and twisted.

She screamed in agony, but bit down any tears that threatened to fall. She was Katherine Plumber. She will not bow to anyone.

It seemed like forever but the Jap soldier removed the cigarette from her neck. From the corner of her eye she saw one of the two guards wince. It was if he felt her pain as well.

"Maybe I will not kill you." He whispered in her ear, sending chills down her spine. "But I can break you." He said something to the guards and they hauled her up again. They proceeded to drag her back to the place where they were holding the prisoners.

Katherine's clothes were in tatters. She was beat up so many times her face looked like a war zone, littered with black and blues and new wounds. He lip was split in several places and her left eye was swollen shut because of the punch the man gave her three days prior.

Her arm was still painful from where the shrapnel pierced her, and she was so sure that it was infected because they would press their filthy hands into the forearm so that they could hear her scream.

She had a long, terrible scar at her back, when in anger a different torturer came in and whipped her twice, both in the same place.

It was a miracle she was still breathing. They knew how to pace her and keep her alive, not to make anything bleed inside, but enough to cause pain and agony so strong that her vision was tinged in red.

Her crew was not in much better shape. The Japs figured if they could torture Katherine, they could torture the others as well. Two have died already, and maybe the third was on the way.

As she was dragged back and tossed into the dark, hot shack where they were placed, she still could not help but think about her crew, and to put the blame on herself for the small things she may have overlooked during the planning.

She ate what they gave them, a bowl of cold rice porridge, barely enough for all of them and more often than naught, flung in their faces.

This was the first five days, she wasn't sure how long she could last. But she would hold on, hold on as long as possible. She would not give up hope that somehow they will get out and somehow word will reach the one person she is holding on for. It was weird, but she felt like she needed to, maybe even wanted to come back home just so she can fulfill the yes she gave.

She couldn't afford another raincheck.


	11. Chapter 11

Two weeks later...

(A/N: I'm in the living room stressing, my father stone faced while you're asking for his blessing...)

Major Katherine Plumber and her crew were still MIA, and Lieutenant Jack Kelly was going nuts. Not only was he not getting any mission assignments, no one could tell him what was going on. No one. He would train all the time and go out with his friends, he would do everything like it was normal... but he knew it wasn't. He missed her, he wanted to see her again despite the war. It didn't matter when or where, he just wanted that second date. He wanted that someone who believed in him.

He trained harder because he was on MacArthur's detail or something, they wouldn't tell him what it was for or why they trained so much. Jack could only assume that it was important.

Two weeks is a long time in captivity or to be missing. He felt like it was only a matter of time before they declare her dead. He didn't want to hear that report. He wondered every time he got home from a time out with his friends that someone would tell him she was gone. He told Crutchie everything and he told Jack not to worry too much. She would hit him if she caught him worrying about her according to Crutchie. So when Will came in the room out of breath, Jack prepared himself for the worst.

"Will." He said in greeting, he had to hold on to the edge of the bed just so he wouldn't stand up.

"Kelly." He replied and caught his breath. "I think you might want to... see this." He gestured for Kelly to follow and jogged out the door.

He hesitated, thinking he might be the harbinger of bad news, but it's news and he loves the news so he got up and jogged after him.

Will looked behind him, his face beaded with sweat. Jack doubted it was from the jogging or the heat though. Will was kind of nervous for something... Jack didn't know what. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to. They stopped in front of MacArthur's office.

"You could've just said MacArthur wanted to see me." Jack said, putting one hand in his pocket.

"It's... it's not that." Will wrung his heads. "I was told not to say who called for you..."

"That doesn't seem like MacArthur..."

"Well it isn't-"

"Look Will, you're a good guy. Following orders. But seriously, sometimes you got to know what to take matters into your own-" Jack turned the doorknob and opened the door. "Hands." His hand dropped to his side as if it was dead weight. He blinked several times. He was shocked. Jack couldn't believe who he was seeing, grey hair, round glasses, large build and eyes that bore holes into him every time they looked at him. General MacArthur was there, in that room, but he wasn't the focus of the room. In fact he wasn't even sitting on his chair.

"Lieutenant Jack Kelly." The man on the seat laced his fingers in a too familiar manner. "I was wondering I you were still alive."

Jack was too stunned to salute to his former commander.

General Joseph Pulitzer has arrived in Pearl Harbor.

-LINE BREAK-

Katherine wasn't sure how she managed to survive this long. So far ten of her men have died, not counting the ten that have already died in the crash. She watched seven of them die in front of her, tortured, punished, beheaded. They pleaded with her, not for their lives, but for her to stay strong and not to break. She did her best. She did not break. She would not break. She figured it was only a matter of time before they decide to kill her.

All hope of getting help was gone and replaced by instinct alone. Eat what food they give, do not speak to them, do not tell the others the odds, do not give up. Live. Survive. Fight. Katherine's body was racked with so much pain that she wasn't sure how relief felt like. Her wounded arm was not getting better, she was sure it was infected. The scars on her back and the others on her arms throbbed listlessly. The bruises on her face made her look like a miniature army warred on her face. Her eyes were near swollen shut. Yet she refused to die. Her stupid resilient body refused to give up.

The Japanese decided it would be fun to keep her dead men with the alive men. The stench was overwhelming, even if the breaks Katherine got from them were the moments she was tortured, she would enjoy the smell of her own blood.

The smell of decay, rotting flesh and human waste was not enough to hold back their appetite of the pathetic rice porridge that the Japs gave all of them. If this is what death felt like, then so be it. She'll take it, but not without a fight.

-LINE BREAK-

"Sirs." Jack saluted quickly once he recovered his wits.

Joe leaned back in MacArthur's chair. "As you were Lieutenant."

Jack put down his hand. He knew better than to start yelling his questions and General Pulitzer.

"You may be wondering why I am here." He said easily.

"Yes sir."

"I'm here because it has come to my attention that Major Katherine Plumber has gone missing in action."

Jack bit back a retort. It has only come to Pulitzer's attention after nearly three weeks of her missing in action. In his experience, usually the person they are looking for is dead already.

"I know what you're thinking." Joe fixed him with a gaze. "It's been three weeks. A long time. It was unavoidable Kelly, we needed to create plans from something we had no data on. We aren't sure if she is a prisoner of war or she just crashed in the middle of nowhere. In the last transmission, we heard an explosion and.." He took a deep breath. "Major Katherine and the pilots saying that they had a Japanese fighter or fighters on their tail. It is almost sure they were shot down and perhaps they were imprisoned."

Jack wasn't sure if he should be excited or scared, he was finally going to go on a mission and it is the one he has been looking forward to.

"With our knowledge," General MacArthur continued where Pulitzer left off, "we know layouts of the usual Japanese camps and we can only assume that there is one in that jungle. Fighters aren't exactly meant for long distance flights, there has to be a base."

"So what's the plan then?" Jack couldn't resist asking.

"There will be two teams, one will come in at the north, cause a distraction, mobilizing some of the troops there. We will drop some explosives, powerful enough to be seen as a threat but weak enough to not damage the base. Assuming that works-"

"Wait." Jack started getting confused. "Sir, we're not even sure how far this base is from any point in the place where they landed."

"That is the risk Kelly." MacArthur admitted. "We will only drop the explosives approximately thirty miles away from the base. Our fighters will be seen of course, making the Jap fighters go and attack them to defend their base."

"The other team," Joe said and slid a brown envelope in Jack's direction. "Is where you are Kelly. You will enter through the south, stealth flying. Fly low and you won't be on their radar. You will use parachute entry."

"Parachute entry sir?" Jack said and took the envelope in his hands. He remembered training for that a long time ago and even enhancing that now. Maybe this was the reason why.

"We are going to drop you in the heart of the base camp. The team's mission is to disable the guards, assuming their are, and rescue the captives. You will not leave any stone unturned. You will find all the survivors, Kelly. If there are bodies and if you are able, bring them with you."

"And of the crash site Sir?"

"Do not go to it, there is no point. The mission is a rescue mission. No side trips." Joe said in a tone he had never used on Kelly for. "Do you understand?" It was firmer, stricter, as if he really did not want Kelly to mess this one up.

"Understood Sir." Jack replied. "When will this happen?"

"Friday. The team that MacArthur handpicked will be the one going with you and with some of the men and women that Major Katherine trained. You have been trained for this already, you will be executing the attack plan "Banner," if you remember what I just explained to you, you will find it very similar to the runs you have prepared for."

It was Wednesday today. He had two days to prepare. Davey was going to have a seizure when he finds out they were set up for this...

"Kelly." MacArthur said and handed him another envelope. "Give that to Lieutenant Davey. It is his assignment."

Jack looked shocked. "Sir? We won't be executing this plan with him?"

"We will not. He has a different assignment."

Jack took the other envelope and turned it over. There were words stamped on it in black ink. "Sir, it-it has my name on it." He pointed out. He was confused, this wasn't normal.

"It was originally for you Lieutenant. You were supposed to be assigned to that. You alone because of your skill in the air." MacArthur admitted. "But since this came up and given your current... relationship with Major Katherine we supposed you would have preferred this."

"Think of it as a courtesy Lieutenant." Pulitzer said in an icy tone. "You're one of the rare exceptions."

Jack wasn't sure if he should blush or say thank you. They knew then that he and the major... well he wouldn't call them boyfriend and girlfriend just yet, but there was this thing with them. He wasn't quite sure.

"Dismissed Lieutenant." Pulitzer said as if he was still the one commanding him. "Start your preparations."

As Jack turned to leave, another question popped in his head. "General Pulitzer?"

"Yes Kelly?"

"Why are you so invested in Major Katherine?" Jack was confused as to why he wanted to save the Major, and why did General Pulitzer come all the way from New York to Hawaii just for this rescue mission. As far as Jack was concerned, it was out of character.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Joe replied. "When you see her, you ask her why I'm so invested."

"I do not think she will be in any condition to answer my questions General. You usually do not go after teams that have been gone for three weeks because of the expenses and lack of troops. You assume them to be dead. Why do you want to go after this one?"

"Are you saying we should let them die?" Joe said as a challenge and his voice took a dark tone.

"No!" Jack raised his voice a fraction of a degree. "No man should ever be left behind. We can agree on that General!" He nearly yelled at him. How dare he think that he would leave any man behind. He has been on probation for saving people and for deviating from the plan. How dare he think that he would let that team die, especially Katherine. "But I have seen you make harsh decisions, why this one is so important to you?" He had to fight to keep his hand on his side.

"Major Katherine is an important asset. She has contributed many things in the war. She has done so much more that you think she has. Even if her father told her not to go to the military, she did and made her own name. If you are asking me why I want to save her then-"

"That's not just it General." Jack said and risked a step forward. "Forgive me for being insubordinate, but you are not the type to go out of your way to go meddle in a rescue mission-"

"Major Katherine is originally under my command-"

"And so were a lot of men and women you come back with, and so were a lot of men who come back in wooden boxes instead of walking on two feet. I'm not complaining, but I find it extremely odd that you let them die because it wasn't in the best interest of the military. This," he waved the envelope in his hand, "is not even a full plan. You don't have all the details. We could all die because of the lack of information. I'm willing to sacrifice my life for the sake of saving men and women, I am sure you are too, but give the reason why you came here! You wouldn't save some of my friends that have gone on the field. You would punish me for questioning back then, you can punish me right now. Why is she more valuable than all my other comrades? They could have been saved General! And you didn't lift a finger! Some of us would be glad to give our lives to go on a mission as vague as this. Why couldn't you-"

"I have made a lot of mistakes in my life Lieutenant Kelly! But neglecting my daughter one more time in this life is not a mistake I will make again!" Pulitzer yelled at him and slammed his hands on his desk. "I promised my wife I would look after Katherine and I am fulfilling it. God help and forgive me for the choices I made before, this... this mission Lieutenant is te least I could do so that my mistakes will be forgiven."

Jack didn't even notice Pulitzer stand up. Jack took a step back. "D-daughter? Is she... one of the team members?"

"You're really dense aren't you Lieutenant?" Pulitzer chuckled and sat down on his chair again. "Major Katherine Plumber is my daughter."

Jack couldn't believe it, but as he studied Pulitzer, he could see the uncanny resemblance. The same hard look, the way his lips pressed together and the shape of his nose and proud stature... the color of their eyes... the eyes he has drawn over and over and over again. He knew her features like the back of his hand and it didn't even occur to him that he was drawing Pulitzer's features, features he knew like the back of his hand as well.

"W-why would she lie?" He didn't know if to feel betrayed or shocked.

"You know her. Do you think she would ever accept that she was climbing ranks because of her name? Do you think those men would believe she could do better than them if she carried my last name? She wanted to make a name for herself and not because I am her father. I told her not to join. I told her to be a normal girl." He sighed. "But alas, that's how it is. Headstrong... reminds me of myself."

Jack didn't know what to say. He began to understand why she lied to him about her name. He remembered the bear stumble she had when they first met. She stammered when she said her name. She was trying to hide, and he understood. "I- I'm sorry." He said apologetically. "I should have known better than to question-"

"I'll let it slide for now Kelly." Pulitzer said. "We are both hoping she is alive. I am willing to overlook your anger now because you are under stress. Now," he glared at Jack, warning him not to push his patience any further. "You are dismissed."

Jack saluted him one last time and ran out the room.

Pulitzer turned to MacArthur. "I am sorry, my old friend. You know how it is."

MacArthur put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand."

-LINE BREAK-

Jack found Davey lying down on his bed reading letters.

"Hey Davey." Jack said and tossed him the envelope. "MacArthur said to give this to you."

Davey caught it and sat up. "What is it? And why does it got your name on it?"

"It was supposed to be for me but... something came up." Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "Pulitzer is here."

"Pulitzer?!" Davey exclaimed. "Why is he here?!" He looked ready to spring into action or to run away.

"Take it easy Davey." He put his hand on his shoulder and then sat down beside him. "It's got nothing to do with you."

"Then why are you involved then?" His eyes widened. "Is it about-"

"Yes it is." Jack answered.

"I see..." Davey rubbed his chin and put down the letters he was reading.

"Is that from your mom and dad?"

"And Les." Davey said with a smile.

"Les?" Jack asked, clearly surprised.

"Yeah. My brother finally wrote me." He shrugged. "It's full of sarcastic comments and insults, but it's a letter all the same. He understands now."

Jack beamed. "That's great Davey! I guess now you can stop sulking around."

"Well he demands a souvenir..." Davey then proceeded to open the envelope. "And where the hell am I going to get one eludes me..." He took the papers out and read them. His eyes scanned the typewritten words. His smile slowly faded.

"What is it?" Jack leaned over so that he could get a good read of the paper. "Oh."

London. Davey was being assigned to London. All the blood leeched out of his face and beads of sweat started to form on his forehead.

"Davey?" Jack said and tentatively squeezed his shoulder. He got no response. "Davey?" He tried again. "Are you okay?"

Davey dropped the papers. "Just when I thought they were okay with me being far away." He glanced at the letters his family wrote him and put his face in his hands.

"Davey..." Jack didn't know what to say, he couldn't help but feel this was partially his fault. It was supposed to be for him, not for Davey. It was only because Davey was his wingman, it was only because he and Davey were excellent pilots. Jack was supposed to go off to London and fight with the Brits, not Davey. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't..."

"You just had to be a hotshot ha?" Davey said bitterly and put his hands down. "You just had to be so damn good didn't you?"

"Davey?"

"What am I then? The second best?" He said softly, but harsh enough to put bullet wounds in Jack's heart. "Your replacement? Pulitzer idolised you. MacArthur chose you. I know why he's sending me instead, because he has a special mission for you. For you Jack Kelly. Not for me."

"Wait. You said you didn't want to go far-"

"I don't. I don't want to go far. But I want to do something honorable. Special."

"Well, you're going to London-"

"That was your job!" He looked at Jack. "Your job. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't get this. It's your fault!" He pushed Jack's hand off his shoulder. "Now I'm just going to go even further away. You know maybe it would spare my family some grief you know? They won't see some mangled corpse, a poor excuse for a body! I'll just be shot out if the air like some poor bird-"

"Davey. Please. Just calm down. I didn't know. I swear to you. I didn't know."

Davey gave him a hard look, but then all that faded away as he saw the truth behind Jack's eyes. He had to calm down for a few moments. Davey then took a deep breath. "Sorry." The fire in his eyes faded. "I didn't know what I was saying..."

"Hey." Jack said. "You'll find a way..." Then he hit Davey in the arm. "And don't you ever talk about death like that. You are not dying on my watch." He made Davey face him. "I swear."

"Well. You ain't watching me in London."

Jack hit him harder and then pointed at Davey's face. "I'm freakin' serious Davey. As long as I'm alive, you are not going to die."

Davey looked at him hopefully. They were supposed to be battle hardened men who laughed at the face of death. They were supposed to take death as it came and just walk it off after. The way Davey looked at Jack did not show any of that. It was the same look Davey gave him the day they first met. Afraid of what was to come, but hopeful. "You sure?"

"I'm sure."

-LINE BREAK-

Davey's assignment was happening the day Jack's assignment was going to end, so they thought they would intercept each other on the air field, but then they saw their departure times. Davey was leaving at first light, Jack was set to arrive late. They spent the next two days preparing, so they barely saw each other. Jack met with the team MacArthur chose and got to see the trainees. The trainees were a well-oiled machine, Katherine had trained them well. He was in awe. He assumed that if these guys were the rookies, then the ones she brought with her are amazing. He was excited to see her again.

Two days came and went, Davey wrote his letter to his family, it explained what he was going to and why he had to do it. Davey wasn't that upset about it, in fact he was driven to do it. He was motivated... but that didn't stop him from giving special instructions to Jack right before he left.

"Davey. Stop." He shook his head. "I should be the one giving you these instructions-"

"I'm just being safe Jack." Davey crossed his arms and shifted on his feet. "You're going to leave and I'm sure you're going to come back-"

"Well same with you but-" Jack ran a hand through his hair.

"Listen. I will get Les a souvenir from London, something you can't buy in a store. I want you to give it to him personally. Also... sneak my tags." Davey didn't even look scared, he seemed at peace even. He was requesting as if he wasn't planning to come back.

"Your tags?" Jack raised his eyebrows and fought himself from bringing out his own dog tags. "Davey you know how impossible-"

"For you? Nothing is impossible. You've stolen before, I don't see why you can't anymore."

Jack put his hands up and back down again. "This is different, I cannot just..."

"You will. And you will give it, just in case I don't make it."

"Davey."

"Jack." He looked at his best friend in the eye. "I'm serious."

Jack pursed his lips. "I'll only do it if you do everything in your power to make it back alive. If you don't, I'm going to kill you."

"Deal."

Jack pulled Davey into a hug and clapped him on the back. "You be safe ha? I can't be anywhere without my wingman."

"Same here buddy." Davey replied and pushed Jack away. "You go now and save your girl."

Jack winked at him as he jogged backwards and saluted Davey. "Will do." Then he turned around and jogged to the airstrip.

-LINE BREAK-

In one hour, Jack was piloting one of the planes equipped for long distance, but also for combat. It wasn't the large one that Katherine brought, but it also wasn't the small sleek ones they used for fighting. They also made sure that the plane was light, everything they didn't need had to be thrown out. They only kept the important stuff, weapons, seats and extra gas. That was it. Jack's co-pilot was a young man with a flight name of Slice. He had short-cropped blonde hair and sparkling black eyes. Jack liked him instantly, kind of reminding himself of... well, himself.

The entire flight, the co-pilot tried making small talk with him, but Jack put out the vibe that he didn't want to say anything. After a while he gave up and stayed silent.

The entire flight, Jack was blank. He wasn't thinking about anything in particular. He wasn't imagining anything or anyone, he was just blank. He didn't want to think of anything because he couldn't afford to be distracted, he couldn't afford to fail. Lots of psople were counting on them and he didn't want to be the one to let them down.

Hours later, they saw land on the horizon.

"Alright team." A voice came over the radio. "You know the plan. You know what you got to do."

Jack was with the team that would directly attack the base, so he watched the other half peel away and do their diversionary táctic. The other team had ten minutes to distract the Japanese troops, get them into the air and take them out. The other half would attack them. Quick and efficient, that was the plan.

Jack only hoped it would work.

-LINE BREAK-

Katherine was pretty sure she was imagining things when she heard screaming and yelling. outside her torture room. She's finally gone mad from hunger and abuse. The infection was driving her crazy. She was sure she was imagining things when her torturer was summoned outside, barking orders to the only soldier left in the room, the young one who cringed.

She was sure she was imagining when she heard plane engines and shots being exchanged. She couldn't look outside, she didn't know what was happening. It couldn't be a training exercise or else there wouldn't be this level of panic. The younger soldier was looking outside, his hands slacked and his jaw dropped.

"What is…" Katherine couldn't form coherent words because of her heavy tongue and swollen lips. "What…" the younger guard spun and pointed his rifle at her. His eyes holding the message she had longed to hear.

"Americans." He said, his hands trembling and the rifle shaking. "Americans."

Katherine was filled with hope. Surely they wouldn't lie about this. Surely they aren't joking.

Though… it was impossible. There wasn't any possible way for the Americans to find them. It was the single most stupid yet… bold thing to do. She imagined the Japanese pilots taking flight while the ground troops manned the guns. She heard the explosions as flammable tanks exploded from the kitchen. She heard planes go down not so far away.

Katherine felt strength surge into her weary bones. They were here. They were here. This was real.

-LINE BREAK-

Jack and his co-pilot immediately went to work, shooting and destroying everything of the enemy. The jap plane in front of him, wasted. The one on his tail? A little game of chicken wouldn't hurt anyone. He and his co-pilot were doing well. It was excellent. He smiled in delight and whooped every time an enemy's plane'a wings would shred off because of their fancy flying. If an engine exploded, he awarded himself fifty points.

Right until a bullet pierced the window and killed his co-pilot. Jack cried out his name, but he new better than to get distracted by the loss. He set to work on landing, he turned the plane, avoiding all the hazards that could take him down. The Japs were taking notice, but thankfully the rest of the pilots were rushing to his aid.

"My copilot's down!" Jack shouted into the radio. "Attempting to land!" He yelled as he tried to do the work of two people. He found the nearest patch of clear land… where there was a wreak he hadn't noticed earlier. He had only a fraction of a second to process that as his plane dived into the ground. Thankfully, it didn't explode.

He hit his head on the wheel, and he was sure that if it wasn't for his hard head, he would be dead. He grabbed his radio. "I'm down! Can anyone read me? Over!"

Static.

"I'm down! Can anyone read me? Over!"

Static.

Jack threw the radio out of frustration. He swore colourfully. "Fuck!" He kicked the console. "Ya useless, motherfuckin-" He yelled out of frustration. He glanced at his co-pilot, who's uniform was now soaked in red. Jack sighed and took the dog tag around his co-pilot's neck.

A selfish part of him was relieved it wasn't Davey. There were no plans of landing until the entire area was clear. There wasn't any plan for any ground strike, save for saving them from certain death. He grabbed his rifle then started hitting the windshield of the plane. He channeled his anger, his frustrations and his regrets as he hit the end of the rifle until it started to create cracks. Jack kept going and going and going. The smell of gasoline is not the best. So if it ignites… good luck to us all.

Jack was able to remove the windshield and get out. He looked around, trying to figure out where to go. He ran towards the sounds of the ongoing battle, hoping he wasn't too late.

-LINE BREAK-

As far as Jack was concerned, he was the only American soldier down on the ground, so of course he had to dodge everything.

He prayed that he was obvious enough to be American to avoid being shot. He darted in between buildings and avoided shooting Japanese soldiers. He didn't want to be overwhelmed, but when the golden opportunity would arise, he would shoot a gunner or throw a stray grenade out of the way.

He had to find the captives and somehow signal the Americans that mission was completed or something. He ran as cautiously as he could, looking through windows and opening doors as quickly and as quietly as he could. The Japanese were too busy to really pay attention to the lone American soldier, but he took no chances.

He felt like he had searched the entire base camp. He was about to give up hope, wondering if the mission happened too late when he saw a rundown shed, barely bigger than a bedroom. It had no windows and the only possible ventilation was the crack under the door. When the wind blew his way, carrying the smell of metal and gunpowder, a foul smell came. It reeked of human flesh. Jack ran to the door and knocked. "Hey! You guys in there?!"

No response, he imagined to hear them stirring.

"Lieutenant Jack Kelly of the American Air Force! Are you in there?!"

The two second delay was the worst because Jack imagined a Japanese solider just shooting him through the door. Jack heard them cry out. "We're here!" They cried. "Help us!"

"Get away from the door!" Jack yelled, hoping they understood. He shot the lock then shoved the door open with his shoulder. When the door fell, Jack saw one of the most pitiful scenes he has ever seen. All of the men and women… bloodied and bruised. Weak. Some of them were asleep… or maybe they were dead.

Jack knelt beside the nearest soldier. He, like all the others, were emancipated, hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. They have bearly eaten. When the soldier grabbed Jack's collar, it was out of desperation.

"How many of you left?" Jack asked gently, holding his bony shoulder. "How many?"

"We arrived forty." He replied shakily. "Now…" he looked around the room. "We are about twenty."

Jack nearly swore again. If the mission was…. No. He would think about it later. The injuries that some of them sustained, they were most likely to be infected. The dead… he understood why they were dead. Some had stab wounds, bullet holes and burn marks. He looked around the room. "Is the Major…?"

"Alive." The solider said as Jack helped him get up. "We aren't sure for how she held on through the torture-"

"Torture?!" Jack exclaimed, anger turning his vison red. He knew that everyone was getting tortured, but it hurt him especially if she was in pain. She probabaly received the worst punishments of them all since she was the highest ranking officer. "Where is she?!"

"We have not seen where they take her, but it is not far because sometimes…" he shuddered. "We can hear her scream."

Jack curled his fists then turned to the men. "Those who can still walk, I want you to help those who cannot. Anyone who is dead… you know the drill. Take the tags."

An explosion rattled the earth, causing some of the wesker soldiers to lose their footing. Screaming and yelling in surprise.

"We're almost home fellas." Jack said in the most motivational tone he could muster. "You can't take the dead with you. I'm sorry. We can't take them all. Take the tags. Honor them. I'll go find the Major."

"Where do we go?"

"Go to the site of the plane crash. It's clear and there aren't any Japanese soldiers. Follow the smoke, my plane crashed there."

They nodded.

"Lets go!" Jack shouted and then ran off to find Katherine.

-LINE BREAK-

Things couldn't get worse than what Katherine thought they would be. The young soldier couldn't be reasoned with, he had orders. That was admirable, Katherine still thought it was admirable as she was slowly dying. Admirable that he will not break. Katherine did not plead. Katherine would not let herself plead.

-LINE BREAK-

Jack ran around, throwing caution to the wind. He was calling out her name, wondering if she could hear him yelling.

"Katherine!" He said as he ran around and banged on doors. He didn't care anymore. He shot any Jap soldier in his path, he punched and killed as more and discovered him. He took all of them out.

"Katherine!" He yelled over and over again as he searched the general area. "Katherine!" He kicked down a door to find the room completely empty.

-LINE BREAK-

"Katherine!"

The Major blinked. She was sure she was hearing things. She was just hearing Jack Kelly call out her name.

"Katherine!" Followed by gunshots and an explosion.

Not real. Not real. Not real. Not real. Not real. He can't be here.

"Katherine!" It was louder now, closer. What cruel joke was this? She was in pain, but pain was the norm.

"Katherine!" The voice was just outside the door. Then banging. The soldier looked away from her and aimed his gun at the door. "Katherine! You're in there right?!"

Even if it was fake, she had no strength to reply. It couldn't be Jack Kelly. She was just imagining it was him.

He swore and the door went down. Before the young soldier could shoot the Lieutenant, Jack made the first move and shot him down quickly. Jack slung the rifle on his shoulder as his eyes looked to Katherine lying in her own and her teammates's dried and fresh blood.

"Katherine!" Jack exclaimed and immediately rushed to her side.

His warm brown eyes were such a welcome sight, his ruggedly handsome face and relieved smile was a sight to behold. Some delirious part of her regretted she hadn't taken a shower in two weeks.

"How…?" She asked softly then winged as she tried to sit up properly.

"I'll explain later." Jack said as he examined her. Her clothes were in tatters and the fabric was more dark brown than its original colour. He looked at her back, riddled with new scars, her forearm, the bruises on her swollen face and the split lip. Her sunken cheeks and bony shoulder.

She was still beautiful to him. She was alive. She was alive and that was all that mattered.

Jack gently picked her up. Even that sent new spikes of pain down her body. "Katherine." He said her name like a prayer. "This is going to be a bumpy ride. I'm sorry if this is gonna hurt."

Katherine whimpered, all the strength that surged through her at first disappeared. Everything she'd been holding on to disappeared.

"Hang on." He said then started running.

-LINE BREAK-

Jack was more than relieved to have Katherine in his arms, but the injuries worried him. They were big and deep and possibly infected. He had to bring her back, they had to bring everyone back.

"You know Kath?" Jack said as he ran. He was tired sure, but he felt the need to speak to her. "You know, I can't believe you lied to me." He wasn't mad, but that was the thing that popped in his head. "Pulitzer is your dad." Katherine's only response was the nod of her head. "Katherine Pulitzer. Not the same ring as Plumber. I understand why you did it." Jack took a deep breath. "I'm proud to have met you."

"You believe in me." He continued. "That's what I think you do."

The vibrations in his chest were so comforting and so was his breathing, even if it was heavy. Katherine wanted to sleep, she felt the need to go to sleep.

"Hey. You stay with me." Jack said and shook her a bit as he ran. "Don't go out."

Katherine at this point wasn't listening to him anymore. It took all her effort to keep her eyes open. Her vision was blurry but she supposed that was alright.

"Katherine Plumber…" He shook his head a bit. "it ain't got the same ring to it as Katherine Kelly does it?"

The Major didn't reply. She was too tired.

-LINE BREAK-


	12. Chapter 12

Jack did everything in his power to keep her awake. He shook her as he ran and said her name over and over again. "You ain't sleeping on me. You ain't gonna close your eyes." Jack slapped her face gently, leaving blood streaks on her face.

Katherine's head drooped.

"Hey! You ain't doing that! Not on my watch you aren't!" Jack said and lifted her head. "We still got that date remember?"

"Date…" Katherine mumbled as her head drooped again.

He kept waking her up or keeping her awake. He did that until they got to the pick-up plane and even during take-off, during the flight time and landing. He had to keep her awake. He helped fix up her arm and bandadge what they could. He wrapped her arm with gauze and helped with her back and shoulders. He was so taken aback by the sheer amount of injuries she had. They had tortured her over and over again. Maybe each day. The wounds were obviously reopened and they looked horrible. Jack swore if he had the chance, he would hunt down whoever the hell did this to her.

The crew also kept Katherine's men and women awake. They weren't going to lose any of the ones they have saved.

It was a long flight back home, but they managed. Jack brought Katherine to the hospital where she was whisked away by the nurses. He had carried her all the way there and his pace was as urgent as if he was on the battlefield.

"You take care of her alright?" He yelled after the nurses and doctors. The doors closed.

Two minutes after she was out of sight, he sat down on the steps and watched the other men bring in Katherine's crew. He placed his face in his hands. He was tired. His energy was gone. He wanted to talk to someone. He wanted Davey with him most of all. He always knew what to say during these times.

It almost seemed like Jack sat there like that forever, ignoring the people going up and down, praying that Katherine was going to be fine, and ignoring the stares they gave him. He was beat up, messy and dirty. He should have hit the showers a long time ago, he should of attended the debriefing, he should have cleaned up. He just stayed. He couldn't bring himself to move. His better half was gone and his dream was broken. He was scared that she was beyond repair. He saw the injuries all over her body and her condition, he thought that the Katherine now was just a ghost of what she used to be a short time ago.

He thought about this for a long time. He only stopped when a shadow loomed over him. For a split second, he thought it was Davey, but when he looked up, he saw the face of Joseph Pulitzer. He felt disappointed.

He also didn't have the energy to stand up. It didn't even register that he should salute to him.

"Lieutenant Kelly. It seems like you have taken residence in the infirmary steps rather than the debriefing we just had."

The words took a while to process. "Sorry sir." Jack mumbled. He had half the mind to sit up straighter. He then realized he wasn't even out of his flight suit.

"It is understandable, but I suggest you don't miss them anymore. I don't see myself saving your ass in the future. McArthur was fuming."

That at least brought a small smile to Jack's face. "Not unlike my old general eh?"

"I'm still your commanding officer Kelly." Pulitzer said. He paused and looked to the doors. "Is-"

"I haven't checked." Jack replied and all the energy seemed to seep out of him again.

Pulitzer studied him for a moment. "Why don't you go take a rest now?" He suggested. "I don't believe Katherine would like you to see her like this. She would maybe prefer you see her tomorrow."

Jack would have protested, but he nodded numbly and stood up, gave a weak salute and trudged off to the showers.

He removed his flight suit and tossed it to the side and he scrubbed himself down, removing Katherine's blood from his arms. He removed the dirt and grime. He stood in the shower for God knows how long. He leaned against the wall and sighed.

He got out after a while. He went to the mess hall and stayed quiet as he ate. He was on auto pilot, he wasn't exactly thinking about anything besides Katherine.

He ate a lot because he was hungry, but he wasn't aware of what he was he was shoveling in his mouth.

He went back to the barracks and promptly collapsed in his bed.

He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

-LINE BREAK-

Once Katherine stopped hearing Jack's voice and felt the soft bed under her, she fell into a deep sleep.

Her dreams though were anything but peaceful, just as she expected. This was normal, she'd have nightmares after being in the field. This was different somehow. They were more intense, more vivid and she imagined that each of her wounds were being reopened over and over and over again. All of her whip marks and cigarette burns stung like they've been doused in alcohol.

Katherine couldn't wake up though. She couldn't make herself open her eyes because it felt too real.

She only woke up when a Japanese soldier fired a bullet at her head. Her eyes flew right open and she tried sitting upright, but she was strapped down to the bed. A good thing too, if she sat up, her wounds would have reopened. She bit back a scream. That dream wasn't real. She wasn't reliving that prisoner of war shit again. Her heart was beating fast and her breathing came in short gasps. Her fists were clenched tight, though she suspected that her grip was actually weak, considering the lack of food she's had.

Katherine forced herself to calm down. She wasn't there anymore. She was carried off by Jack Kelly. She wasn't a prisoner. She was back home.

She looked around, she was in the infirmary, back home. Her soldiers, at least the women who still survived, were lying in the beds beside her.

She was in the women's wing. She moved her head around and looked at the state of her body. She was wearing a hospital gown. Her arm was heavily bandaged, but not amputated, thankfully. Her legs were covered with bandages and she can only imagine her shoulders and her back. There was a needle in her arm, connected to an IV bag.

A nurse came to her. "Major. How are you feeling?" She proceeded to check on her. She had a thermometer and a cool washcloth. The nurse sat down and began to change her bandages.

"Feel like…" Black spots danced before her eyes, "feel like shit." Her voice sounded like a raspy old hag's.

The nurse nodded and removed the wrappings on her arm. Katherine told herself not to look at it.

"You're very lucky you know, with the arm and all the injuries. You survived it." The nurse said as she rewrapped it with new gauze.

"My soldiers?" Katherine croaked. She needed to know how they were.

"All that arrived are recovering." The nurse smiled warmly at her and finished up with her arm. "I also apologize for the strapping, a General suggested that should be done because accorsing to him you are a mover and we can't have that. I cannot change your bandages just yet."

Katherine smirked to herself. After all the thing she's been through, it's a relief to hear that her father cared a little bit after all. That's the only general that would know about the way she sleeps. "Pulitzer?"

"Pulitzer." The nurse confirmed. "It came through telegram. He was at a debriefing around an hour or two after you arrived."

Katherine nodded. "If he comes…" she paused. "Well. If he comes he comes." She didn't know what she was going to say to her father. Much less explain this complete fiasco.

The nurse nodded, did her final checks and left Katherine alone.

She thought about her fallen soldiers. Mercedes most especially. She thought about the pink ribbon. She thought about the other soldiers and their names and faces she would always remember. She thought about how they left their bodies on enemy territory and how they were never going to retrieve them. Those heroes weren't even buried properly. God knows what the Japanese are doing to those bodies.

She thought about the different ways she had failed. The missing holes. The gaps in her plan. She had planned everything precisely and took in all the suggestions, but she had an nagging fear that she had missed something. A small something that had caused their mission to fail spectacularly. The only information they got out of that base were the torture methods, layout and system, which all wasn't that much. You could get that in any mission. You just have to observe.

But she knew she shouldn't beat herself up over it. She couldn't put herself down because of the mission. She should move on. You make mistakes and move on. Life waits for no one. This had happened before, but it didn't get easier. She made less mistakes as she got older, but the scarier it gets. More people tend to trust you if you have experience, man or woman. She was afraid to let down all those people who depended on her… and she had. Maybe she had overlooked something… but past is past. She had to focus on what she could do right now, not what she could have done.

If she got through the torture, she could definitely get through this. The funerals, the speech she knew she was going to write, the medals she'd see given to the families of those who died, the letters she'd have to write to those families, the pictures, the flags. This wasn't new… but it hurt a lot each time she had to do it.

She gave herself a long pep talk as she tried to stay awake. She closed her eyes after she had successfully talked to herself and fell right back to sleep.

-LINE BREAK-

The next time she woke up, it must have been hours later because the infirmary lights were on and it was dark outside.

She found herself unstrapped and free to move her arms around, but she obviously didn't have the freedom to. Her arms were badly injured and every move sent jolts of pain throughout her body.

She heard paper being flipped and looked to the left. She found Pulitzer sitting in the chair beside her bed.

"Hello father." Katherine mumbled.

"Katherine." He said and looked up from the paper he was reading. "Do you know you're in the news?" He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I was not the one who placed it in the paper, nor was I the one to give information to the reporters. It seems to be heavily inaccurate, knowing you."

Katherine read the front page.

"AFTER TWO WEEKS IN CAPTIVITY, SOLDIERS STILL ALIVE."

Sure, alive. That's one way to put it. Katherine's nose scrunched then relaxed after reading the first paragraph. There wasn't anything she could do about it anyway.

"Now I do know." She said and looked at the ceiling. "What brings you to Pearl Harbour?"

"You did." She heard the chair squeak. He must have leaned forward. "I was… worried about you."

Katherine blinked slowly. Worried. She's been to other missions where she almost died. It's only now he's worried and flew all the way to Hawaii just to check on her?

"Are you going to remind me now about how I should be more like a woman?" She said softly, she couldn't raise her voice or her throat would get hurt. "Are you going to say I should do something else? Retire? Because I'm not in the mood to hear any of that bullshit."

Pulitzer sighed. "I'm not trying to prove my own point. I know you can handle things on your own, but this time I was scared that you were actually not going to come back. I believe in your capabilities. I've seen you do your drills, I've seen you train. I've seen you do it all. I know what you can do." He took a deep breath. "I have never been a father to you, nor will I ever be. But I want you to know that I do care. I don't want to let your mother-" He paused. "I don't want to break her wishes. She said that I am to keep you safe and sound, like she would."

Katherine turned her head to her father, who was now sitting straight and looking at her with the respect of a general. She nodded. "I understand."

Pulitzer looked relieved. "Yes." He looked down and the room was silent for a while. He was never good at emotional expression. Saying those words must have taken a huge amount of effort.

He stood up. "I best be leaving you to rest. My flight is tomorrow morning." He pursed his lips. "You know, that Lieutenant Jack," He said reluctantly, "has been waiting outside. He's been there since he dropped you off here and only left when I arrived an hour ago. He'll most likely visit you tomorrow." He touched Katherine's arm for a second and left.

Katherine watched her father leave the infirmary before turning her eyes to the ceiling.

She didn't know what to make of that. Jack Kelly, the restless Lieutenant, sitting outside for hours, not moving. She thought about it for a while, then her eyelids became heavy and she fell asleep.

-LINE BREAK-

Jack slept like a rock. No one bothered to wake him up because they all knew all the people that went on that mission deserve the rest for a while. McArthur turned a blind eye for that day. Jack woke up a little past 11:00AM. He was going to say something but realized that 1.) Davey was on a mission and 2.) the room was empty.

Jack sat up and sighed, feeling particularly hungry and sore. But instead of going to the mess hall, he grabbed his notebook from his trunk and began sketching.

-LINE BREAK-

Jack went inside the infirmary at around 1:00PM. He had just come from taking a shower, finishing up his sketch and talking to McArthur for a private debriefing. He did ask for permission to go into the women's ward. The nurses seemed a bit apprehensive, but they let him in anyway.

They led him to Katherine, who was sleeping peacefully on her bed.

Jack sat down on the chair beside her and decided he was going to wait for her to wake up. He crossed his legs and opened up his notebook again and began sketching a different thing.

He wasn't aware of how much time passed, but he had finished his fourth sketch when he heard a hoarse voice speak his name.

"Jack?"

Jack nearly dropped his notebook and pencil. He looked up and saw Katherine looking at him with a small smile on her face. "Don't tell me you've been sitting there for hours."

Jack glanced at the clock. It was 5PM.

"Nah." He closed his notebook. "Just two hundred and forty minutes."

"That's four hours."

"I'd like to think that's just minutes."

Katherine nearly laughed out loud but then groaned at the effort.

"Hey take it easy." Jack said and moved to the edge of his seat. "You gotta recover first."

"So concerned." Katherine smiled and relaxed. "Why are you here Kelly?" She said jokingly.

"Can't I just be concerned?" Jack raised an eyebrow and took his hat off his head. "I just wanted to check on you."

Katherine probably wasn't thinking straight when she said the next sentence. "Check on me or check me out?"

"The only checking out I'd like to do now is check you out of the infirmary. I've been checking you out though for a while already. Pretty sure you know that."

She closed her eyes and grinned wider, genuinely amused and happy with the lieutenant. "Yes. Yes I do know that."

A few moments of silence passed.

"I was gone for a while wasn't I?" Katherine mused.

"Well yeah." Jack shrugged. "I mean…" He trailed off and another moment of silence ensued.

"Ya know…" Jack broke the silence, "when you were gone…" Jack rubbed the back of his neck and leaned forward. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the words to come tumbling out. "I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Katherine looked at him again. "What?"

"You were on my mind the entire time. There wasn't a day where I wouldn't think about you. You could ask the others, they know."

"I- I couldn't sleep and…" he opened his notebook. "I'd draw you…" He handed it to her. "I couldn't stop thinking about you… I was worried and I know ya wouldn't like that but…"

Katherine flipped through the pages until the most recent one. There were doodles here and there but most of them were of her. She was training others or running or sitting… all of it. She didn't know someone could see her that way. She looked... beautiful.

The most recent one was of her when Jack found her. She looked so different and she wondered if she really resembled something like that. Thin, broken and bloody.

"I know what it looks like." Jack said and hung his head. He must have seen the expression on her face. "It's just… well. The image was burned in my head and I wanted to get it out. I didn't want to think of you that way."

The one beside it was one of her smiling. She was wearing the outfit and now on their first date.

"You should smile more." Jack smiled to himself, remembering her laugh. "You look… beautiful when you smile."

Katherine closed the notebook and gazed at him. "Jack…" she was wordless.

"I believed in you… I really did." Jack stood up and went to her side. "I knew you were still alive, but it didn't stop me from worrying because… I am afraid of you."

"Afraid of me?" Katherine raised her brows, her voice going up.

"I'm afraid of how important you've become to me. Because if you were gone or if you died… I don't know what I'd do with how I felt. If you were gone tomorrow… I didn't know if what we… well what I think we have," He put his hand on the rail of the bed, "would still exist because you'd be…" He blinked and looked down. "I ain't good with words…" He smiled a bit. "You're really something Katherine. I usually got somethin to say… but I got nothing."

Katherine held his hand. She felt Jack tense up. "Jack…" Her eyes watered and she blinked. She wasn't used to someone being like that towards her. "I…" She rubbed circles on his hand as she took in a breath. "I thought about you too." She inwardly cringed. She couldn't amount to what the lieutenant just said.

Jack looked at her with an emotion she couldn't place.

"I thought I was just imagining things when you came. I thought I was just dreaming or that my mind was playing some sort of cruel joke. Turns out, you did save the damsel in distress." She continued and let out a soft laugh.

"You ain't no damsel in distress." Jack smirked. "You're a warrior. You eat damsels for breakfast."

Katherine laughed and then tried to sit up so she could talk to him properly. She grunted.

"Hey no. You're lying down." Jack held her shoulders gently. "You don't need to-"

"No. I got it. I can sit up." She paused. "Just help me."

Jack helped her to a seating position and adjusted the bed so that she would be able to sit down and lean back. When he stopped doing that, they were a mere foot apart.

Katherine smiled at him and ignored the stabbing pain in her back. "You see," She paused and shifted a bit, "I could be the damsel sometimes. Even Ace, Majo rextraordinaire needs assistance." She bit her lip for a second and squeezed his hand. "I've been meaning to thank you for saving me." She said. "I know you were following orders… but I still want to thank you for coming to me and keeping me awake. I also want to thank you for worrying about me. It's rare that anyone would care so much about me."

Jack's cheeks grew warm. He squeezed back gently. "I would gladly save you any day." He adjusted her pillow. "Though I'd rather not have to."

"You said it." She replied.

Jack and Katherine looked at each other for a while, smiling softly. Enjoying each other's company. Their breath mingling and warming the few inches between them.

Jack, by a sudden impulse, began to lean forward. Katherine's heart started beating faster, but this time, she didn't stop him. She just closed her eyes.

She felt his lips touch hers. Gently at first, tentative, but then she moved her hand to his neck and deepened the kiss as she kissed back.

She opened her mouth and Jack followed. His tongue explored her mouth and Katherine felt herself melt into him. She could imagine scenarios where it would be a lot more romantic, but a lot less perfect.

Jack had never done this before… as far as he could remember. He had a vague memory of kissing in high school, but nothing like this. He believed that this was the first kiss that ever felt so right.

Their lips molded against each other as the figurative fireworks started. Each one's heart was hammering against their chest, but they didn't dare stop. It was magical and amazing and special. It was perfect.

Jack had to control himself. He had to make sure he wasn't going to roam his hands on her back. He was very careful not to hurt her. He knew where her injuries were and was very careful to avoid them. He was content with holding her face.

They pulled apart after a while and rested their foreheads against one another's.

"That's… how you kiss a girl Kelly." She smiled.

Jack smirked and they pulled away for real. "Next time… if I were you, I'd worry about my hands." He joked.

He was also bluffing. He had almost zero experience, and that "almost" was very, very rusty.

Katherine smirked. "Looking forward to it."

Jack turned pink, not expecting to get a reply out of his tease. He squeezed her hand and helped her lie down through adjusting the bed again. "I should be letting you rest some more. We still need you to beat up those trainees."

She laughed a bit. "I'll avoid punching their noses this time."

Jack snorted and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "See you around." He smiled at her again and left the room.

Katherine watched him leave and sighed. This man.

This handsome, heroic, charismatic, plain spoken, know nothing, skirt-chasing, cocky son of a bitch had stolen her heart.

She had fallen for her.

Just like he had fallen for her.

-LINE BREAK-

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you like it!


End file.
